Time Stands Still
by fhockeylove15
Summary: A shockwave hits Roosewood, and Hanna and Caleb have to find a way to do make it together.
1. Chapter 1

**Time Stands Still**

**Chapter One**

"Hanna let's get a move on, it's 6:30!" My mom shouts through the door. _5 more weeks of school, just fine more weeks._ I say to myself. I drag myself out of bed and walk into my bathroom, sighing grab my hair alstic and put my hair up in a pony tail._ Game day._ I love these days, don't have to think about what to wearing something cute, get to go to school in my uniform. I walk down stairs in my uniform for my home game today and my mom gives me her once over. "You know when I told your father I wanted two kids, a boy for him and a girl for me. I didn't ever think the girl would end up becoming my second son." I rolled my eyes, "Ha Ha, you're so funny. You're coming to the game right?" My mom looked up from the paper and cup of coffee in hand, "Sweetie I have my board meeting tonight, I can't make it. I am sure your father will be there. Shit, I have to go. Good luck hit my a double! Love you." She gives me a kiss and walks out the door before I get to say anything. I go to the fridge and pull out my lunch along with a yogurt. I check the stove on the clock 7:02, better start the day. I grab my keys, gym bag and ipod. I lock the door and about to turn on my ipod when I hear the house next door's front door slam shut, I rolled my eyes at the sight of Caleb Rivers coming out- he thinks he is so badass. We used to be best friends, our mom's used to joke about how one day we would get married, but when we got to middle school and his mom died of cancer we stopped talking. I found sports and my friends to be more important and hanging out with a guy always meant that they were together and it wasn't like that with us, anything but that. I forgot that I was still somewhat staring at him when he gives me a nod and proceeds to his car. I grunt and blast my ipod to start off my day.

I pulled into the parking lot at Rosewood High and I see my friends waiting outside Aria's car. I step out and almost got run over a 65 mustang convertible. "HEY I'M WALKING HERE JACKASS!" In the heat of my anger of almost losing my foot I notice a stupid grin that was once familiar to me. "Sorry princess I didn't mean to interrupt your big entrance, must have missed the rest of your parade." I hated when he called me that, and I hate when he calls me that now. I am not a princess, and if I was my parents would still be together and I wouldn't go to family counseling. Princesses don't have to deal with the pain of others because they don't like someone else. He must have forgotten what my parents were like when we were friends. "Whatever, look before you run over people next time." Then I kicked his tire and walked over to my friends who were waiting. "Hanna, do you always have to start your mornings off with yelling at someone, especially Caleb?" I smirked, "Yes. Would it be a normal day if I didn't?" We walk into school and I am already for the day to end. Just get on the field and forget my worries about other things.

When 3rd period ends I go to my locker, notice Caleb is at his dangled from mine. He notices me coming by to go to mine, I try to avoid eye contact, and oddly my heart starts skipping. I never noticed when we younger that his eyes were like a chocolate brown-makes me want to melt into them sort of. I really needed to stop thinking about it. I look away and see Spencer coming down the hall to talk to me, when she walks over we hear a body being slammed into a locker, she and I jump and we see Toby on the ground slowly getting up. Sean is laughing over him. Caleb looks over at us and gives me that look like_ "I can't believe you are with that loser." _I give him a half hearted smile that says _"It's not my fault." _Spencer sees the communication and feels the need to say something to fill the silence and bring me back to reality. "You sure know how to pick your boyfriends Hanna." I laugh. "Yeah, well whatever keeps mommy from questioning why I am out late at night with AAU and with you guys, it works for me." I say still watching the fight that is happening to Toby and Sean. I shut my locker and go between them staring down Sean as we make it to the door ending the hall and wait for Aria to come by, out of the corner of my eye I see Toby pulls something out of his backpack, black and perfect size to his hand. I grab Spencer by the hand, and she looks over at us. **BANG!** The glass between the door is broken and I can't find where Spencer went, I can't move my leg-it feels like someone lit a match and threw it on my leg. Everyone is running not noticing me on the ground. I don't know what to do, I inchworm myself to Mr. Fitz room-it's completely empty. I make my way to the desk and sit underneath it and start to cry in pain-and pray for someone to find me.

**A/N: I got inspired by the idea by the episode of one tree hill in season three when there's the school shooting. I am trying to make this better and sorry for this being kinda all over the place. Hope you guys are liking it. =]  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I never had anything easy in my life, my dad took off when I was 3 and my mom died of cancer, living with my aunt and uncle in one word: sucked. I hated feeling like the abandon fruit, and setting an example for my 3 little cousins was even harder because none of them were over the age of 10. "Cabie time to go to school!" Taryn says bursting through the door and jumping on my back, "UGH! T I told you about doing that!" I rolled over knocking her off to the side of the bed, her smile made it really hard not to melt, sometimes I even forgot what I was mad at her for. I look over her shoulder and see a picture of me and Hanna around her age arm in arm on the swing-set that used to be in my old backyard. Taryn crawls over to get off the bed stepping in a place that is not where she should have been "UURRGGH." She looks at me like she didn't know she did something, which could be true in her mind. "Ooooppps did you get hurt?" I look at her, "I'm fine." I say holding in a breath, "I can kiss it and make it better Cabie." "No no no, just tell mommy I will be out in a minute okay?" She dashes out of the room and get dressed.

Down stairs everything is the same, Aunt Patty is scrambling to get everything ready, Uncle Dan is reading the paper, the boys are eating and elbowing each other and Taryn is sitting humming a song she learned yesterday at pre-school. They aren't much but they're family. "Going to look for a job today boy?" I look up from my breakfast plate. "Yeah while I'm at it I got married and I have 5 kids, we just bought a house in California." My uncle looks over his paper and stares at me with a frustration in his eyes. "Listen smartass, you know the deal. You don't get a job, we don't pay for you to go to college next fall. Now you need to pay off the car, so find something today! That's an order." I chug my orange juice, give Taryn a kiss on the top of her head and slam the door behind me. I just looked out at my car, _I hate when he acts like the father he never was to me. _Through my frustration I look to my left and see Hanna looking at her ipod, she looks ready for a game. I didn't notice that I was staring at her because she rolled her eyes at me, _guess she is too good to have people stare at her._ I missed hanging out with her when we were little, we used to do everything together.

School is a nightmare, I didn't mean to almost run over Hanna, but you know what she doesn't own the parking lot. I go to my locker and wish to talk to her when she walks by, I am not really sure what to say. So when I look at her it's like an unspoken silence that we got good at over the years, the silence is filled when I see her boyfriend Sean shove Toby into the lockers. I give a classic look to Hanna, she gives me one right back. "You sure know how to pick them Hanna." Spencer says catching our glances. She laughs, _I miss her laugh. Her smile. Wait come on Caleb you can't do this. You guys were friends and only friends for crying out loud! Get over it. she doesn't like you like that anymore._ "Whatever keeps mommy from questioning what I am doing on weeknights works for me." They walk away and I am left standing like a fool for not saying anything to her. I shut my locker and was ready to walk in the same direction as Hanna did when I see Toby pull something out of his backpack and hear a BANG! Everyone ran off, I hear the glass of a door shatter "Hanna." I thought to myself. I had lost sight of where she went through all the students running off, and I also lost sight of Toby. I never realized how many people were in this school until something like this happens. In the blink of an eye the hallway goes empty. I walk through the now broken door and see a small trail of blood that's broken up by footprints. I follow the blood and it leads to Mr. Fitz's door. I knock once. "Wh…who…who is it?" Right away I know it's Hanna, I pull a bobby pin out of my pocket and picked the lock, something I learned at summer camp a few years back.

I open the door and see Hanna behind a desk in pain, I shut the door behind me and rush over to her, "Oh my god Hanna." She grabs on to my shirt for dear life. "It hurts!" I pull off my plaid shirt wrapped it around her bleeding leg to add pressure, "is there anyone else in here with you?" Through the tears she shakes her head. "It's going to be alright. Just stay calm." I wrap my arms around her knowing that she might not want it but I am not willing to argue in this case.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Hanna's P.O.V.**

It seemed like hours had passed, I wondered what Aria, Spencer, and Emily were thinking or where they were. "Do you have your cell on you?" Caleb asked in a calm voice, I shook my head. I had stayed silent since he walked in and wrapped my leg, the thought that I was being saved and someone else wasn't seemed unjust to me. Especially after everything A has put me through and losing a friend already. But I shouldn't be thinking about losing anything other then the blood that wont stop pouring out of me. Finally I found my voice, "I guess I wont be playing in my game today." Caleb looked at me and smirked which made me let out a sigh that he caught on to my lighting the mood comment. "You would be thinking about something other than your condition at a time like this." I gave him a half hearted smile remembering all the times when everyone else was serious around us and I was always cracking the joke. "Is it bad?" Caleb looked at me confused, "What that you just cracked a joke during a school shooting, honestly I would be concerned if you didn't." I rolled my eyes at him, "No I meant my leg. You know the thing that has a hole in it." Caleb leaned over slightly and gently moved the broke piece of sock, I cringed by his touch, "It's deep." I leaned back against the desk with a heavy sigh. "What are we going to do?" Caleb kept looking at my leg then met my eyes, "I honestly don't know yet." We sat in a comfortable silence.

**Aria's POV**

"I tried texting Hanna but she isn't responding. Guys what if something happened to her?" I really couldn't help but freak out, one minute Hanna is by my side the next she is gone. I ran as quick as I could with no time to think and made it to the tutor center with Emily, Spencer and a few other kids. "I'm sure wherever she is, she is alright. Lets just not worry about it." Spencer says in a calming voice. Emily looks over at us with worry in her eyes, "Guys what if Toby shot her, or kidnapped her or something." We stayed silent thinking about it. Then my phone went off and I thought I jumped what felt like 10 feet in the air. _Would it kill you to stop worrying about goldie-locks? Oh right. It actually might. Guess you'll never know. Better stay where you are if you care about your health. ~A_ I got chills. "Guess we just got our answer." Spencer read the text over and over again, "Why would Toby of all people bring a gun to school. He never did anything and yet everyone just had to pick on him. It just doesn't make sense."

"Aria how did Hanna manage to leave your side, she was standing right next to you. Wasn't she?" Emily asks, and I put my head down. "I don't know. I grabbed her hand when the shot when off. And then I turned around she was gone. I assumed she took for cover with the crowd. I didn't think someone hurt her." Then Spencer kinked her eye brow, "Where you standing near Caleb?" I looked at her confused, that was the first time we have spoken his name since we all left for camp with Hanna for the first time and she told us about being best friends with Caleb and they stopped being friends when we came into the picture, that and Hanna is a big time tomboy, always focused on her softball never really letting any of us talk to her about her home life. She learned I guess through her relationship with Caleb and us to keep her school, sports, and home life all very separated from each other. "He was actually standing with us. But we walked down the hall. And then I saw him run by after the shot was fired. Do you think he took her into shelter or something?" Spencer shrugged her shoulders, guess we wont know until the time comes.

**Caleb's POV**

Hanna was breathing a lot slower then she was before. The bell rang indicating 4th period. "It's only been an hour? Feels like a life time." Hanna nodded, "I'm supposed to be in current events." I laughed "I think this counts." She just kept looking at the wall. "I'm really tired Caleb." I looked at her with hurt in my eyes knowing there was nothing I could do to take away this pain she was feeling. "I know but you have to stay awake. Keep talking to me. What's new in your life these days other than dating block heads who push kids around and end up shooting up the school." She shrugged, Hanna had never been one to talk about herself growing up. She cared more about what was going on with other people, she always put herself last when it came to others. It was one of the things I loved and hated about her, because sometimes she needed to care about herself. Even when no one else would. I think that was why we were good friends, I cared for her when others couldn't. Her parents were not the best, and for me that's hard to judge since I was minus that from my life. But it doesn't mean I can't judge good parents when I see them. And hers were way way off the scale.

"Nothing really has changed. Mom is still working all the time, gone most of the time. And dad is just dad…never really caring about anyone but himself." I nodded remembering going to all her sporting event's and never seeing him there. And then when he came by hours later he had a new bag or bracelet to make up for missing it. That got old with her after a while. Actually a lot of things got old with her after a while, including me in some ways. I look over noticing Hanna growing quite. "Hey Hans, you need to stay awake okay?" She sighs with a small nod. "I was just resting my eyes for a minute." I smile slightly at her. "Why don't you tell me about a good day?" She kinks an eyebrow at me, "A good day? What do you mean?" I rolled my eyes at her. "Meaning the perfect day that you ever remember. Tell me about it. Whatever keeps you awake. I am all ears." She takes a deep breath looks out the window and begins.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hanna's POV**

"A perfect day-I guess if I had to think of one, it would be when we were 12. It was a half day and it was raining hard. You and I were doing homework and when it started to rain harder I got up from the table, over to the door, put on my galoshes, and went outside without a jacket and started puddle jumping. Of course you being the fun-sucker you told me I was going to catch a cold from not wearing a jacket so I kicked water at you and then you ran out in the middle of street with me. It was like for that one moment in time you and I had no worries, at all. And it was perfect to me. No one was comparing me to anyone and I didn't have to worry about what my mom thought of me. It was just you. And me. And the rain." I closed my eyes growing tired. Caleb started laughing, "What's so funny?" Caleb fell over laughing so hard. I hit him, "Care to explain to me why you are laughing like an idiot?" "Because I remember that day perfectly, you got the worst head cold, I remember bringing you soup and you sneezed it on me!" I smiled at him remembering that too. "Yeah, I remember that too." I started to laugh but it was really started to hurt. "What happened to us." He asks finally when he can catch a breath. I look down at the pool that has formed around my leg, "What do you mean?" Stupid question to ask I guess.

"Hanna you know what I mean, we used to be best friends. Tell each other everything, then I am not sure what happened." I didn't want to look him in the eye, tears were slowly rolling down my face. The truth was I didn't have a right answer for him. And really does anyone when they drift away from the people they care about the most? I mean am I a bad person because I stopped hanging out with the one person who got me, who didn't judge me. Or didn't make me feel like I wasn't good enough for my own family. "Caleb I really don't know. I guess once we got to high school and I started

hanging out with Alison, Spencer, Aria and Emily..you became harder to be around. I never meant to hurt you by it, it was just how it went. And I feel like a jerk that it took me till my Senior year to say that to you, but it's the truth. And I know no amount of sorry's can make up for how much hurt it put you through, I honestly thought you were going to be fine without me in the picture. But I guess we were both wrong in that area." Caleb pulled me into a hug and I rested my head on his shoulder. "Go figure we come to terms with each other when you get shot and we hide out in Mr. Fitz's room." I laughed through his chest, "Yeah we really timed that well." We chuckle. And fall into an other comfortable silence. My eyes were getting too heavy to stay awake any longer.

I needed to rest. My mind starts to wonder back to the good old days with Caleb making mud pies when we were 4 in my backyard with my brother Mike, climbing the apple tree's at day care and him being the one to teach me how to do a cannon ball into Mrs. Menis's pool. The laughs we had on movie nights at his house. Then my mind went all the way to the day his mom died, it was like a part of him died with him. I felt horrible his mother was beautiful and always knew the right thing to say when you got hurt because **SOMEONE** decided it would be a cool idea to ride down the big hill!

I felt a nudge attempt to bring me back into reality but it sounded far away, "Hans you need to wake up, come on. Wake up please Hanna!" I slowly opened my eyes again, this time with more tears running down my face. "I don't think I can make it much longer Caleb. I am getting too tired, and I am loosing a lot of blood." "Stop talking like that Hanna I am going to get you out of here okay, please stay with me." I shook my head crying more but I had to get this last thing out. "If I were to tell you something will you hold it against me later if I make it?" He looked at me confused for a long moment

before I spoke I took another deep breath. "I never wanted to stop being your friend. You meant everything and in some ways you still mean a lot to me." My breath was fading out and my eyes were getting heavy again, this was so hard to really say. "You mean a lot to me too Hanna, always have." I smiled, and before completely shutting my eyes "Caleb..I love you." I saw his eyes grow slightly

wide, and I did the only thing I had energy left to do. I leaned in and kissed him, it wasn't long but you could tell there was more meaning behind it. When we pulled apart I rested my head on his shoulder. And my breathing started to slow, Caleb laced his hand in mine and held on to it for a while, I felt at peace telling him how I fully felt about him. It was like years worth of emotions spilled out

all at once like the gun shot wound. I know I couldn't hear his answer, even if there was one. But telling him that he was always what I thought about over Sean felt like someone finally pulled the damn bullet out of my leg and told me everything was better.


	5. Chapter 5

**Caleb's POV:**

Hanna just told me she loved me. I mean we used to say it to each other when we were friends. But her she was laying next to me and actually meaning it. "I love you too Hanna." After a moment I looked down at her and she had fallen into a sleep, I tried shaking her, but she wasn't moving this time. I slid her out from underneath me and started moving the stuff I had blocking the door out of the way, I poked my head out to see if it was okay for us to walk on out of here. I put a door stopper in the door and went over and put Hanna's arms around my neck and carried her like a bride. She rested her head in between my neck and shoulder, she started to open her eyes again "Where are we going?" I looked down at her, "Sh, rest now, I am getting us out of here. You're not dying in school. It would be too ironic for me to handle." She nodded slowly and shut her eyes again. The halls were a straight up ghost town, completely empty. I shut the door to Mr. Fitz's room and it slammed shut. I shut my eyes in frustration, "Damn it." I whispered to myself.

"What is someone doing in the halls? Don't you guys know the school is on lock down? I have a fucking gun!" Toby shouted to the kids he had in the tutor center.

"I guess that's my cue, lets see who is going to die today." Spencer, Aria, and Emily watched Toby leave the room. "Guys what if it's Hanna out there?" Aria said, leave it to her to think of the worst. "Aria you are freaking me out, will you cut it out I am sure Hanna is perfectly fine." Emily said. They all nodded their heads crossing their fingers.

Toby walked down the hall to see who his next victim was. When he rounded the corner he couldn't believe when he saw Caleb holding Hanna, he had no idea he shot her. "What the hell are you doing here man!" Caleb jumped at the sound of edge in his voice. "She's bleeding I have to get her help." Toby looked down at her. "I..I didn't mean to do that, I swear." "I know you didn't now will you please let me get her help, she will die if she doesn't see someone." Just then Hanna started to move slightly in his arms and woke up. "Caleb…what's going on?" She asked in a weak voice, he looked down at her then back at Toby, she followed his eyes and hers grew bigger. "Oh god." She cringed in his arms. Caleb held her tighter.

"Hanna. I'm sorry." "Put me down Caleb." She asked through his shirt. "Hanna you can't walk." "I don't care. Put. Me. Down." Caleb let her go and she gripped on to his shoulder for support. "Toby please just put down the gun. I know you didn't mean too." Toby held up the gun with a shaky voice, "I can't make this all go away! It's still going to be there, the pain! I can't fix anything!" Hanna let go of Caleb shoulder and walked over to him slowly as she could, taking deep breaths the whole time. "Yes you can, you can start with me.

I forgive you, you may have shot me but the cut will heal. And I know you might not feel that way now, but it will get better. The people in this school will change everything they ever thought about you. But it starts with you handing me the gun please." Hanna reached out for the gun, Toby fell to his knees crying. "They tell me I was a killer, I didn't hurt Alison and I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted it all to stop. It hurts, right here! And It never goes away, the voices in my head, the looks from people. All of it. It never goes away!"

Hanna started to cry, she was getting tired of crying and tired in general. "I know that pain in your heart, I get that feeling all the time. But what helps the pain is knowing that you know the truth that you never did anything to anyone. You don't take the pain away permanently you take it away with kindness. Show them the real you that you and I know you are. Please Toby, had it to me."

Toby looked up at Hanna both of them had tears in their eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered. And pointed the gun at his chest, "NO!" Hanna shouted but she was too late **BANG!** Hanna put her hands up to cover her face. Caleb rushed and turned her away from looking at what was before her. She sobbed into his chest, he gripped on to her for dear life. Never wanting to let go or make her look at what he was seeing.

**A/N: ****sorry for the short chapter. I will attempt to make the next one longer. Just wanted to fix the suspense for you guys (: **


	6. Chapter 6

Hanna's POV:

My head was pounding and I kept hearing this beeping sound in a distance. I slowly opened my eyes, they were so foggy, it felt like they hadn't opened in days. All I can see is a foggy white stuff, I try to look at my surroundings, I feel tubes up my nose and I look down at my left hand there's tape over a wire in my hand, I try to pail it off but someone's hand quickly covers it. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." I snap my eyes up to see who is making me fail at getting out of this place but I come face to face with big brown eyes, they seemed more than familiar to me. "Caleb?" I questioned just making sure. "Hi Hanna. Now that we met, can you please remove your hand from the IV attachment, because if you take that off I will have to get the nurse into deal with you and she is a real charmer because she's already tried to get me to leave 4 times already." Hanna looked at him confused but laid back down due to a head rush she was getting. "What day is it?" Caleb tilted his head, "Friday. You've been out for a day." Hanna looked around the room, out in the hall something made a BANGING sound-a tray of food probably but it made Hanna jump and all of yesterday's incidents came flushing back all at once, "Oh my god what happened to Toby is he okay? What about my friends did they make it out okay and what about my leg, Caleb I am so confused." I started speaking really fast, I didn't know what else to do but the look on Caleb's face made me even more nervous. I started to cry, "Hanna shhh slow down and relax, you're gonna go into a panic attack if you're not carful. Now please lay down." Feeling him stroke my hand started to make me relax more. "Everyone is fine your friends went home an hour ago to get rest, your mom took them home. The school is closed for the weekend so they can figure out what to do on Monday. As for your leg well you lost a lot of blood but they were able to remove the bullet and you'll need to be on crutches for a while." He stopped to make sure it was all sinking in to me, and it was everything started to make me feel ease with the world. But one question remained. "What about Toby, is he alright. I want to see him." Caleb's face said my answer. "I'm sorry Hans, he's gone." I nodded and looked up at the ceiling, this was all too much for one day.

Caleb broke the silence after a few moments. "So do you remember anything, while we were um..in..um Mr. Fitz's room" He asked me shyly. I raised my eyebrows. "Caleb I lost blood, not my memory. I remember." He chuckled "So you remember..the kiss?" I rolled my eyes and then blushed. "Yeah I remember saying I love you as well. Why are you asking this?" Caleb turned the slightest shade of pink. "Well you really didn't hear my response. You passed out before I could answer." I was so confused, "Caleb I heard you. I just didn't feel like answering you." I said playfully trying to change the thickness in the air. The last 24 hours had been way too intense for me, along with dealing with this. "Oh really. What did I say then?" I had to thinking quickly the truth was I had no idea if I heard him or not, for Christ sakes I thought I was dying who knows what I really said. I probably told him I liked the color pink and loved balloons too. Which I hate! "Um…" "Yeah mhm that's what I thought." I smiled at him. "Okay what did you say then. Please the suspense is killing me." Then I blinked at the irony of what I just said, not really the best choice of words. "I said…I love you too." My heart must have skipped a thousand beats because the IV was starting to get louder then it originally was when I woke up. Caleb used that to his advantage with a smirk and leaned in and kissed me. I guess I could cross off being kissed in a hospital on my list of things to do before I die. And hold off on it being a sexy doctor.

When we both came up for air Caleb rested his forehead against mine. "So what does this mean. About us?" I asked shyly playing with the hem of his shirt. He looked down at me playing with it, "I'm not sure. But I mean it seems kinda played out asking you out in a hospital at the moment." I laughed silently. "Listen I never got to say this when you showed up at school but, thank you for practically saving my life." He smirked at me, "No thanks is needed, you would have done the same for me." I smiled up at him. They fell into another comfortable silence. I looked down at my leg, I could just barley feel it, I cleared my throat, "So umm…would it be a bad thing if I-" "Good Hanna you're awake, I am sorry but we are going to have to put some more medicine for your leg, and I am sure your head is screaming in pain from the lights in her." The nurse walked in and realized she had just walked in on a moment. "Oh I am sorry, do you want me to come back?" I looked at Caleb who looked down at our hands, "No. We're done here." The nurse walked over and put the medicine in the IV bag. When she left I spoke. "I am scared." Caleb looked at me oddly. "What are you scared of?" I took a deep breath. "I am scared of reliving everything that has happened while I am sleeping. I don't want to remember anything anymore, I just want to move on and forget." Caleb nodded in agreement. "I promise you wont feel that way. If it helps you can dream of this" Caleb leans in and gives me a kiss, I laugh against the kiss hearing the heart monitor going off the charts. He pulls away, "We should get one of these for you whenever I am around, because then I will know what my heart really does to you." He says winking at me. I laugh and my eyes start to get heavy. Caleb strokes my hair and I lean my heads towards where his hand is. "Sleep well princess." I pop my eyes open. "You're going to be here when I wake up right?" I didn't want to wake up to police or my mother for that matter! That's going to be a nightmare if and when she ever does show up. He laughed fixing my uneasiness. "I will. Now you really need to rest." I nodded and he proceeded to stroke my hair, finally I drifted off into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Caleb's POV: **

"_I will shoot if you don't shut up now!" "Toby put the gun down now!" "NO!" __**BANG!**_ I spring up in my bed in a cold hard sweat, check to make sure it was just a dream.

"_man I need to get some sleep, I'll go crazy if I don't."_ I thought to myself. Hanna has been home from the hospital for a day, and tonight is the first night without her by my side,

which probably would explain the reason for this nightmare. I lay back on my pillow and run my fingers through my hair. _"This can't be happening." I think to myself. "People don't just shoot themselves, it doesn't happen."_ What am I talking about? It's the twenty-first century, people hurt themselves over everything, Hanna was amazing trying to talk him out of it.

She had been having worse dreams then I have. Before I know it the alarm clock goes off-indicating time to get ready for school. "I hate Monday's."

I can just picture what today is going to be like. Everyone either in morning or not. Staring at Hanna like she is about to break or treating her like a hero. And me?

Well if they treat me differently then they already have, well that would be an accomplishment. I get dressed and head downstairs, Patty is cooking and Dan is avoiding eye contact.

My aunt walks over and strokes my hair. "You going to be okay today?" She asks with tears in her eyes, "I am going to be fine. It's just another day." My uncle clears his throat, "Son if you feel like it's too much today, you have every right to come home. But I would like you to try and make it through the day." I nod. I look at the stove clock "I have to go and see if Hanna is ready."

My aunt almost dropped the spatula, "Caleb, are you sure she is going today. It might be too soon for her." I start to clinch my fist. "I talked to her last night she is coming to school. And last I checked we both saw a boy shoot himself. And we tried to save him. There was nothing we could do." So frustrated I punch a hole in the doorway to the kitchen.

**"HEY THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU. GO GET HANNA AND GO TO SCHOOL. I MEAN IT!"** My uncle yells in front of me. I grab my bag and slam the front door behind me.

Hanna was already waiting outside hers on crutches .I relax for her sake, she might be already on more edge then me. I walk over to her.

"Morning." I say removing a piece of hair from her face. "Hi." She looks uneasy about going into school today. "You ready." She looks away shaking her head.

"Hey, look at me." She meets her blue eyes with mine and I get lost instantly. "I won't let anything happen to you today, I will be right by your side until you don't need me. Okay?"

She smiles my favorite smile. "Alright. Let's just get this over with." I nod in agreement. I grab her bag and head over to my car. Stick her crutches in the backseat. I start the car and pull out of the driveway, I look over at Hanna who is staring out the window. "What are you thinking about?" I ask pulling on to the road and start the drive to school. "That I hate Monday's."

I smirk and reach over for her hand, hoping to ease her stress. She looks over at me and starts to relax. We finally pull into the school and neither of us move, we just look at the school. Hanna's cries are rushing through my head as I look at Mr. Fitz's outside window. "Let's go." I say and we step out of the car, I rush over to Hanna's side of the car and grab the crutches out of the back, hand them to her and help her to class. On the way she stops and turns to me, "Look I hurt my leg. I didn't end up paralyzed, you don't have to help me every step of the way."

I smiled at her. "Okay I'm sorry, it's just been a long morning that's all." The bell rang indicating 10 minutes before first period starts. "I will see you in English?" She nods with a smile, I kiss her on the cheek and put her bag on her and she hops off to class.

2 periods later I am walking to my locker and see Hanna at hers, I sneakly come up behind her, "Hi." She jumps and turns around. "Oh my god don't do that. Please." I look at her oddly.

"You alright." She looks back into her locker. "I'm fine." I come over to the other side of her locker so she can look at me. "Hey, what's wrong?" She starts to form tears,

"Everyone is staring at me." I look around the halls some people are staring others are acting like it's just another day. "Hanna you survived a school shooting, you were in the hospital for 3 days. Yeah everyone is going to act differently around you. I mean look I'm staring at you and you aren't yelling at me, so I am going to take that as a good thing." She rolls her eyes at me,

"That's not what I meant and you know it." I smirked at her. "Look if you want to blow off today, that's cool just say the word and I'll go with you." She looks at the shelf of books in her locker,

"How far can 2 people get when one of them is on crutches smart one." I thought about it for a moment, she made a good point. "Hm good point, you should be a detective you're good at stating the obvious." Hanna smiled. "Thanks for the offer but I am going to rough it through English and Spanish then see how I feel." She shuts her locker and hops on to English.

I stand there wishing there was something I could do to help, I feel really helpless. And feel like I haven't been through enough like Hanna has. Yes I saved her but I mean she was the one who tried to talk Toby out of shooting us or himself, even though he shot himself anyway. I stood there helpless waiting for a fate to happen to her. What does she see in me anyway?

I am not the strong person I was in that room. And now we have to go and try and sit through a class in the room where she almost died, how is she not falling apart at the seems? And why am feeling so sorry for myself.


	8. Chapter 8

Hanna's POV:

I must have **VICTIM** tattooed on my forehead. Because if I had a nickel from all the stares I've been getting today..well we could say good-bye to my mother's money troubles and maybe my dad would

come home. But at any rate I am here, in school. And to be honest-I am regretting getting up this morning.

If I walk up to one more teacher who gives me the _'oh my gosh I am so sorry you just got shot by the school shooter, yet live to tell the tail to your grandchildren.'_ Look one more time, I promise I will cut-

"Hey." I jump back when I hear a voice coming from behind me, "Hey yourself." I smile at him. "Ready for English?" I take a deep breath, close my locker, and follow in step-with one leg with him. When

we get to the door way of the room we stop. The day replays in my head over again, my cries for help. The laughter releasing the tension between Caleb and I. And then up ahead the other end of the

hallway where Toby shot himself, and I tried to stop him. Caleb's hand brings a shiver to my skin, "Hanna you alright?" I snap back into reality. "I….I'm sorry." I hand back my books and hop away from

him as far as my crutches will carry me, I hear him calling me from behind me. He was wise enough not to follow.

The school bell rings indicating lunch has started, I sit outside underneath this big tree. I skipped 4 classes; English, Biology, US HistoryI and Independent Study. I haven't moved from the tree-it's the

most perfect spring day and all I can think about is how Toby is no longer hear seeing it. My phone buzz's and I roll my eyes thinking it's my mom. Instead it's an unknown number.

_**They say a hero could save us, I'm not gonna stand here and wait. Heard you tried to be a hero last week. Did you really think he needed to be saved Hanna? I think the only person **_

_**that **__**needs to be saved is you, from your daddy issues. Doesn't bad boy know about those? Might want to start letting him in or he's gonna know things you thought we took to the grave. **_

_**Well I did-just say they word and I can bring them back. ;) Have fun at school & welcome back piggy. xoxo ~A**_

"Stupid bitch." I mumbled to myself out loud. "Nope just Aria with a peace offering." I jump at the sound of another voice. "Hey sorry I didn't think anyone else was here." She smiles and sits down next

to me. "How are you holding up?" I rolled my eyes. "Sorry you must get asked that more than enough times." I laugh with her, "I'm fine. Just tired more than usual-trying to get through the day.

Without: people posting stuff on my locker, looking at me like I am an abandon puppy. Or wanting to talk about the accident." As if on cue someone walks by looking at me. "**WHAT DO YOU WANT!**"

I shout and they speed walk away. "Okay Hans maybe you should go home, I mean your mom should be proud you made it through this much of the day?" I sit back against the tree. "No. I have to

finish out the day, I wont be in tomorrow because of physical therapy." Aria nodded in agreement. We went silent for a while, eating lunch and looking out at the nature around us. Then she broke the

silence, "So you and Caleb? Friends again? Dating? What?" I looked down at my sandwich. "Umm.." I cleared my throat and noticed I was blushing. "We aren't really putting a label on it at the moment.

I'm not sure." Aria kinked an eyebrow at me, "What? You have that look." She laughed, "What look?" "Nope not telling you what look it is, because once I do that. You're gonna get all self-conscious

and ask me all the time if you're making that look and I wont want to deal with it." We started laughing and Aria gave me a shove. "Now out with it Aria what are you going to say." "Okay. We've been

friends for what..9 years?" I nodded. "Right. And in that time I am sure you remember when we were in 4th grade and I pretended to go out with Erik Johnson.." I laughed at the memory, "Yeah he was

a ginger but you really wanted him to give you his 64 pack of crayons with the sharpener in the back." Aria wacked me in the arm. "**UM OUCH!**" "The 64 pack was epic okay, don't judge it." We started

laughing more. "Okay Aria where are you going with this?" "Well are you sure Caleb isn't just paying attention to you all the sudden because of what happened? I know that seems really harsh but it's

just odd you know. One day you guys are just neighbors the next he is carrying you out of schools." I looked down at my sandwich. "You're right and I have thought about it. But you know we weren't

just neighbors he was my best friend until middle school. When his mom died. So it's not like he was a new kid at school or anything." Aria took a breath, "You're right. But you wanted to know what I

was thinking and that's what I was thinking, sorry if I crossed a line." "You can't cross something that was never drawn."

Aria nodded and then we went on laughing about that day back in 4th grade.

The bell for lunch goes off and Aria helps me up. "So want to hangout tonight?" I try to gain balance on my crutches. "Um I am not sure if I can tonight. I will text you though." "Okay." Aria starts to

walk away,"Hey Aria!" She turns around, "Yeah?" "Thanks for lunch. It meant a lot to me." She smiles and walks away. I throw my trash away and notice my shoe's untied-as I'm tying it I see worn out

chuck taylor's standing in front of me. I finish tying it and get on my feet, "Hey. I was just on my way to meet you." Caleb smirked at me. "You alright." I give him an evil look. "You know feel free to pick

other questions to ask." "I'm sorry. I've got your homework though, teachers say you can take your time on it." I start to walk away from him, I'm not mad at him-just frustrated in general. "Hanna did I

do something?" He asks speeding up to catch me, "Nope." Caleb stops and I continue on with my back to him. "Want to tell me what's wrong then? Hanna!" I whip around at him. "**YES!** Yes Caleb

something is wrong. I am frustrated with everyone staring at me like I am a forbidden fruit, I am tired of teachers treating me like an adopted puppy they rescued from the animal shelter but just found

out it has **STD's**. AND to top it all off If you or anyone else ask me if I'm alright I swear to god I will shove this crutch so far up your-" Caleb puts a kiss over my lips, at first it scares the crap out of me

and the next thing I know I drop both crutches and wrap my arms around his neck pulling him closer deepening the kiss. We pull away and I avoid eye contact. "If that's all it takes to shut you up then

I should have thought of that when we were 9." I blush. He puts a finger on my chin and lifts it lightly so I look at his big brown eyes, "Hanna I am sorry if I seemed to smuther you with always asking

how you're doing. I was more nervous for you today then for myself. I was wondering when you were going to crack and listening to you do it, made me feel worse. But you are strong and you don't

need to let the stress of what everyone else thinks about you bring you down further. You went through something not a lot of us go through, and you're one of the lucky ones." "But I don't feel lucky.

I feel like he should have shot me. How can a person miss out on a day like today, everything is perfect outside. The sun is out, flowers are blooming. And yet everyone just acts like it's another day.

Like Toby was just another person." Tears start to fill my eyes and Caleb pulls me in gently for a hug, I inhale his sent and I start to drift to another place in my mind. I pull away though and look up

at him."I'm gonna go home." "You want me to take you?" I shake my head. No I will be fine. I will call you have physical therapy." With that I pick up my crutches and start down the street to my house.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Caleb's POV:

I felt bad that Hanna was limping alone home the other day. It's been 3 days and she won't talk to me at school-she avoids my calls or texts. And her status on facebook hasn't changed in 3 days. But today I am determined to talk to her. I miss her, her smile and her laugh. I can't believe people are starting to think we were only together because of what happened to her. When I got to school Friday I saw Hanna had changed out of her cast and into a brace, and she was free of crutches, I had to find a way for her and I be forced to talk. And I thought of the perfect solution, I just had to wait for her mom to leave. Once I hid behind the bushes I saw her mom pull away, Hanna looked beautiful in a pair of Jeans that hugged her legs and butt. She had a navy blue long sleeve shirt on that hugged her curves and her hair was straight and in a pony tail, guess she didn't want to have to deal with it today. As she was walking towards the stairs I walked towards her and bumped into her shoulder knocking her books to the ground. "Ugh can you watch where your going you jackas-Caleb?" My face soften when she said my name, I missed the way she said it. "Sorry I didn't see you there." I bent down and picked up a book but she grabbed my arm to stop me, "Leave it I got it. People are acting like I can't do anything, really go-you're going to be late for class." "And the rate you're walking you will be too if you don't let me help you. Why do you have to be so damn stubborn." She rolled her eyes at me and picked up her books. "What do you want Caleb? I know you saw me in the bushes and planed this whole 'knock Hanna's books out of arms so she will talk to me scam' now what do you want?" "You won't return my calls." She raised her eye brows but my hands were getting sweaty and my mind was full of better, other things to say..I just didn't know how to say them. "You made me late for class because I suck at returning a call?" The bell rang indicating homeroom was starting, I reached out to help Hanna but she flinched at my touch, "I can help myself. I don't want anyone's help okay. So just leave me alone."

She walked up the stairs, completely forgetting that we have homeroom together, along with study hall. When we walked into class the substitute gave us both detention after school. Perfect, a better chance at talking to her the right way. But what I was confused on was why she was flinching when I got near her, and the other day her friend Emily came up behind her and she almost jumped out of her skin too. When study hall was in the library I decided to get answers to the thoughts in my head, I just didn't know how so I threw a paper ball at Hanna to get things going, she gave me an evil look then went back down to her text book. 20 minutes later she got up to go look for a book, I got up and followed her. She made me jump when she came out of nowhere in an ale. "Why do you keep following me?" I was stunned on her face was a little cut on her lip. "What happened to your lip?" She touched her lip then looked away, I could see the memory of something she wanted to forget all over her face. "Hanna you can tell me anything you know that right?" She looked down at her shoes. "No." I was confused. "No what?" A tear slowly rolled down her cheek. "If I tell you something it's going to guilt you into thinking you need to be with me because I am troubled or in shock or hurt somehow. And I am not looking for that with someone. I don't want your guilt trip Caleb." It felt like someone punched me hard in the stomach-I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You do remember what happened the day you were shot right? You kissed me! I never asked you too. And since then I can't get you off my mind, I mean you can tell me off all you want but it won't work. I have developed something for you that I really can't put to words but if I was staying with you because I felt bad, then why am I trying to make you give me a time of day? Hanna these last 3 days have been hell. Now stop avoiding my first question because I might say something I am not ready to say. What happened to your lip?" She looked surprised and I was too. I just spilled half of my guts to this girl.

"I can't tell you." "Why not?" She looked me in the eyes this time, I could see the fear and hurt. "Han please let me help you-I can't if you don't tell me." She took in a breath. "My mom was pissed at me because I wouldn't give her my pain meds. She has a new job and it's putting a lot of stress on her and she has just gotten so angry about the little things, and I got in the way this time. It's nothing really. I mean it looks worse than it is. And her boyfriend is just a lazy drunk and he doesn't do anything, he was drunk when it happened and he kinda egged her on." I didn't know what to say all I wanted to do was get the pain to go away for her. Try and tell her that things were going to be okay. I pulled her into a hug, she wasn't crying but she pulled tighter than I was holding her and I knew she needed it. I kissed the top of her head, her hair smelled amazing and I wanted to smell it forever. We stayed like that until the bell rang then I spoke. "You're staying over tonight." Her amazing blue eyes grew bigger. "No Caleb I can't do that! If my mom finds me not home, I am going to be in so much trouble. It's a fat lip that's all really I can handle it and-" "Hanna you are in a brace. You are pretty much weak to her." She sighed. "I appreciate that you want to help but please let me handle it myself. I promise if I couldn't I would stay with you." I smirked at that, "Really?" She smiled. "I mean we shared a kiss when I was dying, it's something that I replay every night." I stepped closer to her until she was up against the book shelves and I had my hands on either side of her head. "You do? Interesting." She smirked at me, "Do you remember much of it?" She laughed, "I don't remember it that well. Was it good?" I blushed, "The best I ever had." She blushed too, then did something with her eyes that made my stomach drop. "Remind me how I did it again." She pulled my caller and I pressed my body against hers and covered my lips with hers. She let out a moan.

I let me tongue graze her bottom lip and she let me in, our tongues dance and she wrapped my arms around my neck, I let my hands rest on her waste. I was hoping we were never break the moment but as soon as I thought it, the bell rang indicating lunch. We broke apart Hanna slowly opened her eyes, "I don't think the kiss was that intense." I laughed. "No, no it wasn't. But it was something along those lines." I brushed my thumb over her fat lip. "Are you sure you are going to be okay tonight?" She looked away for a moment but I put my finger under her chin and made her face me gently. "I am not sure, let me see how tonight goes." I sighed a frustrated sigh, "Please let me handle it?" I nodded, "Here give me your phone I am putting my number in incase you can't. Call me at any point tonight. No questions asked I will just come get you. I promise." Hanna smiled a soft/sad smile and gave him a kiss good-bye before meeting her friends for lunch.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Hanna's POV:**

Lunch seemed to drag on and on, I kept replaying the moment in the library with Caleb over and over.

I didn't realize that I was only pushing around my salad, when Emily noticed something was off about me. "Han you okay? You're barely eating."

I gave her a smile to reassure her. "Yeah I'm fine, just not that hungry."

Aria kinked her eyebrow at me, "Is there a reason? Maybe something behind the cut on your lip?" Spencer chimmed in "Your mom drinking again?"

I rolled my eyes at all of them. I really didn't want to hear this right now.

I grabbed my things, threw my lunch away and walked to my locker to get my notebook and head to the music room.

I never told anyone about my side project/hobby of this but it's just something I enjoy doing to help me

Get my mind off things. If I am in a mood I hide out in my notebook and write things down.

Aria is the only one who knows that I play guitar, I never liked to draw attention to myself. I play guitar and piano. My older brother taught me before….well he enjoyed teaching me and I love getting lost in something I am trying to get down on a cord, I love music-it's saved me from myself a lot of the time.

I head to the music room and found the keyboard unattended, I pull out my notebook and sit down.

I run my finger tips over the keys and take a deep breath before starting to pay the notes, the microphone was plugged in and on so I started my song:

_** I can feel the magic floating in the air **_

_** Being with you gets me that way.**_

_** I watch the sunlight dance across your face,**_

_** And I've never been this swept away.**_

Someone cleared their throat and I jumped, Caleb was standing in the door. I got nervous, wondering how long he was actually standing there. "Please don't stop." I blushed and closed my notebook.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked avoiding eye contact, "not long enough. You didn't finish."

I smiled when I looked up I noticed he had moved on to the bench and sat down next to me, he lifted his hand and brushed a piece of hair out of my face.

"Please play some more, it was beautiful." I slowly nodded, "Don't laugh." He pretended to cross his heart and held up a boy scout sign.

I opened my notebook back up and replayed.  
><em><em>

_** All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze**_

_** When I'm lying wrapped in your arms,**_

_** The whole world just fades away,**_

_** The only thing I hear is the beating of your heart.**_

_** And I can feel you breathe, it's washing over me**_

_** And suddenly I'm melting into you. **_

_** There's nothing left to prove, baby all we need is just to be.**_

_** Caught up in the touch, slow and steady rush. **_

_** Baby isn't that the way love's supposed to be?**_

_** I can feel you breathe**_

_** Just breathe.**_

_** In a way I know my heart is waking up**_

_** As all the walls come tumbling down. **_

_** I'm closer than I've ever felt before.**_

_** And I know**_

_** And you know**_

_** There's no need for words right now.**_

_** Cause I can feel you breathe, it's washing over me**_

_** And suddenly I'm melting into you.**_

_** There's nothing left to prove, baby all we need is just to be. **_

_** Caught up in the touch, slow and steady rush.**_

_** Baby isn't that the way love's supposed to be?**_

_** I can feel you breathe**_

_** Just breathe.**_

_** Caught up in the touch, slow and steady rush.**_

_** Baby isn't that the way love's supposed to be?**_

_** I can feel you breathe **_

_** Just breathe**_

_** I can feel the magic floating in the air.**_

_** Being with you gets me that way…**_

I stopped playing and looked at Caleb, he seemed speechless. "Well." He looked over at me in awe, "did you write that?" I nodded slowly.

He leaned over and kissed me, as we were deepening the kiss my phone went off. I looked down and saw the text was from my mom. "I have to get home."

Caleb let go of my hand, "Let me drive you." My eyes grew big, what if my mom saw him? There was no way I could risk that. "No, I can make it. I'll just see you tomorrow. Really it's okay." He didn't buy it for a minute but let me go anyway. Before I left him I turned back,

"By the way you're the first person I sang in front of-and the last. Don't tell anyone what I did for you, I like to keep something's about me to myself."

I winked and he smiled at me. I left and walked on home.

"Mom? I'm home." I announced when I got in the door. I placed my keys on the kitchen table, and put all the dishes from lunch in the sink.

I started to do them, we didn't have a dishwasher-mostly because we couldn't afford one. As I was cleaning I was humming the song I had sang to Caleb and smiling when the smell of beer and cigarettes' filled my scents.

Eric was right behind me, I stopped moving. I acted like a deer and just remained perfectly still thinking he would go away.

Instead he came up behind me and put his arms on my shoulder, I could smell the cigarette in his mouth,

"You seem to be in a good mood Hanna-banana" I cringed I hated that nickname he made for me.

"What are you doing? I thought vampires only came out at night."

I immediately regretted saying that because Eric took his cigarette and pressed it into my neck, I dropped the glass and screamed.

He covered my mouth and pulled me close to his body, it was sweaty and smelly. "Shut up. It's what you need to learn."

He let go and threw the cigarette away. I cried silently into the sink my neck in pain. He sat down at the table and watched me wash the dishes.

"Turn to me." I jumped from the broken silence. "Look at me damn it!" He banged his fist on the table, I set the glass in the sink and looked at him with watery eyes.

He got up and walked over to me, smiled and when I thought he was going to walk away completely. He turned back and punched me in the eye.

"Now, talk to me that way again and I will make sure you never walk again. You understand me?"

When I didn't respond at first he kicked me in the rib and I groaned a "Yes." He laughed, kicked me two more times, then grabbed his jacket, keys, phone and headed out the door. It took me an hour to get off the floor but once I did, I grabbed a bag and packed it with everything I would need this week into next,

took: my phone, computer, chargers and anything else that I thought they would smash in the evening. Took my house keys locked the door behind me and walked away. I knew where I was going. I told the girls not to tell Eric or my mom where I was or where I was heading.

I was staying somewhere safe and would see them in school, just don't ask why.

I walked to the one place where I knew I could trust someone even though I knew we just met, I didn't want to stay with the girls because that would be where they would look and would hurt them.

And I really couldn't risk it. So when I walked up the walk way I took a deep breath, then noticed there were no lights on anywhere.

I went around back and noticed lights coming from a teenager's room I smiled knowing who's room it was, I noticed he had vines that led up to a little balcony,

I climbed up-I went rock climbing at fat camp, I was more of a pro skinny then I was fat.

Once I got onto the balcony I lightly knocked on the window, praying that this was the right window. When the figure came to the door I let out a breath.

They opened the door and I started to cry, and chocked on the words I was trying to get out. "You said I could stay no question's asked. So can I come in?"

and I started to sob.

**A/N: The song Breathe is by Faith Hill..hope you liked this chapter! =]**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Caleb's POV:

I was thinking nothing but Hanna from the time I got home to now, I mean even doing homework tonight was out of the question.

I was laying on my bed relaxing after doing homework and be hounded by my Uncle about getting a job, lucky for me it's been spring now and my lawn mowing job has opened up and I started work today..and I was really tired from it.

I was laying on my bed watching TV, it had started to rain outside so I had to shut the balcony door which was a shame because there was an amazing breeze coming through.

I was really into this movie when I heard a light knock on the door to outside and it made me jump out of those movie/TV trances.

I got up scratched my head and opened the door confused at who it was.

Hanna was standing in the pouring rain with her make-up running down, she could barely stand up straight and had a bag over her shoulder.

"You said if I needed to come no questions asked I should. Can I come in please?" Then she began to sob.

I wanted to take away her pain so badly, who ever did this to her was going to pay.

"Of course get in here." She walked in and sat on my bed, "Do you have a change of clothes?" She nodded, just standing in the middle of my room.

She was looking at the photo's of me and Taryn, I am sure she wanted to smile at them but she just didn't have the heart too.

I understood that. I came up behind her while she was looking at the pictures, "That one was from camping two summer's ago."

I guess my voice scared her because she jumped 2 feet in the air. "Don't do that. Please" she said shaking. I looked at her confused.

I cleared my throat, "there's a bathroom right there, its my own you can go ahead and change in there. Then we'll talk." She just looked down at the floor.

"Do you want me to go in there while you change out here?" She smiled for the first time since she got here and nodded.

I sighed and walked over to my bathroom shutting the door behind me.

10 minutes later I opened the door and found her on my bed sleeping, I smiled and walked over.

I shut off the TV so we were in complete darkness.

Before getting into bed I locked the door so Taryn wouldn't do a surprise attack if she was still here in the morning.

When I got on the bed Hanna's shirt was revealing half of her silky tan skin,

I noticed discoloring, I lifted up the shirt and the moon light from the door showed the bruises-they were red, black and blue, and they were all over her stomach.

I whispered a curse to myself. This was the work of someone who had done this before.

When I looked over at her face her shiner was not getting better and she had a cut of what looked like someone using their hand with a ring on it-which always made a shiner look worse then it really was.

I saw her arms and they had grip marks, but also on one arm it looked like she was cutting herself.

Reality was setting in the more I looked at the peaceful girl laying next to me I almost wanted to cry for her, especially because she wasn't wearing her brace, wherever she lived she walked to the other side of town in the pouring rain with an unbraced leg.

Hanna rolled over and sighed, "You awake?" I asked rubbing her unmarked cheek.

"I'm sorry I came here like this." "Shhh. Please don't start apologizing, what happened to you?"

She took a deep breath and I brushed away a tear trying to escape her eye.

"My mom and her boyfriend beat me." After she said that she moved her hair from the side and she showed me a burn that looked like- "Today he decided to burn me with a cigarette.

And then I mouthed off and he kicked me in the ribs and punched me in the face."

I pulled her into a hug and held her tight, not so tight due to her condition.

"You shouldn't have to put up with something like that."

She pulled back and looked me in the eyes, I took the opportunity-a bold one at that and leaned, our lips brushed and I gently placed mine on top of hers and it was like the rest of the world had melted away, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me close to her as if she was holding on for dear life,

I brushed my tongue on her bottom lip and she allowed me in, our tongues danced and she let out a slight moan-that drove me while, but I didn't want to take full advantage of her not like this.

So damn my head instead of my body I pulled back. She sighed. "Caleb do you like me?"

I almost wanted to scream as loud as I could. "Yes. I've told you." "Then what is the problem?"

I smiled at her and brushed some hair out from her face, "The problem is you are not in a place to want to do that right now.

You've had a long drainful day and I think we should do ourselves a favor and get some sleep before we do something we're both going to regret." She looked away then rolled back over to her side.

"Han..will you go out with me tomorrow night?" She nodded silently.

An hour later I was drifting off to sleep finally when a soft voice woke me up. "Caleb."

It was Hanna I knew it. "Hmm" was all I was able to get out I was so tired.

"Can you put your arm around me please? I forgot my bear." I smiled, good thing she couldn't notice why I was smiling. She really just admitted that she still sleeps with a bear at age 17.

As asked I rolled over so her back was facing me and I put my arm around her waste.

She snuggled her back against mine and held on to her waste tighter and put my head into the gap of her neck.

We breathed silently hearing only the rain and the beating of our hearts as we welcomed the much needed sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Hanna's POV:**

I woke up at 5am I guess? That was what the red clock told me next to the bed, my head hurt and my eyes felt like I've been crying for days.

I didn't realize where I was until I felt an arm tight around me. I looked over my shoulder and found Caleb sleeping next to me-and realized how close he was to my body.

I felt at peace, but still got the chills. I sighed and let sleep wash back over me.

"_DON'T EVER TALK TO YOUR FATHER THAT WAY !" Mom said as she kicked me down the stairs, Eric laughing from the chair in the living room watching the whole thing._

"_LAST I CHECKED HE WASN'T MY FATHER" The room went silent for a brief moment, Eric got up from the chair, picked me up off the ground and threw me into the wall-I felt my back crack in ways a person should never feel._

_I was punched in the face then pulled by the hair into my parents room. _

"_I am going to make sure you show proper respect to your elders missy!" Eric pulled me onto the bed and griped my arms so I couldn't escape, "No please, I am sorry, please don't."_

_I sobbed but my tears meant nothing to him. I peered over his shoulder and noticed my Mom just standing in the doorway hand over her mouth like she was seeing this for the first time._

_Eric's belt somehow became undone and his pants were sliding as his smelly body was on top of mine crushing every bone, "NO PLEASE STOP, I'm SORRY!" I shouted. _

I sprung up like someone just dumped cold water on me, I was sweating.

I looked myself over and realized it was just a dream. I laid back down and tried to relax.

I heard Caleb sigh next to me and started to wake slowly. I could feel him looking over at me, "Nightmare?" I looked up at the ceiling and only nodded as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked moving to his side to face me. I didn't answer him, I just let more tears roll down, probably for the best for now.

He moved his hand over to my arm as an attempt to relax me but I flinched at the touch.

"Han." I looked at him red eyes and all but before he got a chance to speak there was a knock on the door. "Caleb, I need to talk to you."

It was Caleb's Aunt. I sprinted out of the bed grabbed my bag and headed for the closet.

"Come in." Caleb sat on the bed, his aunt walked in with a basket..oh no! I am busted now.

"Got some laundry I want you to put away and I wanted to get your hamper from this week, it's in the closet right?"

I looked down and there was the hamper and I have nowhere to hide.

"Uh I will get it don't bother, can I bring it out when I put everything away that way you have 2 buckets?"

I tried ever so slightly but landed on some shoes and wacked my head on the wall.

"What was that?" She caught me, I am dead..dead while I am still standing, or sitting in this case. "Nothing. Really I will bring it down to you-it's not a problem."

"Sweetie it's right there" I could hear footsteps coming closer, I tried my best make myself into a ball.

Patty opened the door, didn't even bother to look around the closet and pulled the basket out, but my gym bag was on top of it.

I closed my eyes wishing to be anywhere but here. The only thing I was thankful for was that it was a boy color and that it was zipped up.

"Do you have clothes in here?" She asked, "NO!" Caleb said quickly, she looked at him oddly, "Okay. I get it.

Everyone is entitled to some form of privacy. Don't hide in here all day will you?"

She walked out of the room but I didn't move until I heard the door shut behind her.

Caleb opened the closet and helped me off the floor.

"That was freaking close." I started to laugh, "I thought she was gonna bust me the second I fell.

I got some shoe up my ass, you know how hard it is to sit there while your basketball shoe is up my ass."

We both started to laugh-it felt like the first time I've laughed in months. I took a change of clothes out of my gym bag.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight?" I didn't look up from my bag, the question took me off guard.

"No." Caleb nodded and sat on his bed. "You can stay here as long as you need you know, I don't mind. And you're somewhat good at hiding from my Aunt, but I am sure if we pull it off in a way where my uncle isn't home when she is she would let you stay. She is pretty cool about stuff like this."

I thought about it for a minute and followed his gaze to my right arm, I covered it. "How long have you been doing that to yourself?"

I sat down next to him, "Since I was a freshman." Caleb's jaw tightened. "He never should lay a hand on you." I laced my arm around his and laced my fingers with his, a perfect fit.

"I promise I will never let him hurt you again." I shook my head, "You can't promise something like that, because eventually I am going to have to go home and I am going to get hurt again-it's a cycle and there's nothing I can do about it."

I put my head on his shoulder and he placed his on mine. "There is, you can stay. With me."

He tightened my grip of his hand in mine, "I have to get more clothes and I guess meet your family in order for that to happen." He smiled.

"You can stay here secretly for the weekend and then Monday I will talk to my aunt about it." I looked up at him with as much hope that I had left.

"Just don't make me any promises, I can't deal with that sort of commitment."

"Deal, hey I still owe you a date tonight. My family is going out tonight leaving me by myself."

I thought about it for a moment. "Can we just stay in then? Walk around the rest of the house or something. I don't think I am in much condition to do anything."

He nodded, "Yeah I am going to get you ice for that eye though, it's swelling worse than it was last night."

Caleb got up and step out of the room. For the first time in a long time I felt I was at peace.

I just wondered if my mom and Eric noticed I was gone yet or even cared.

**A/N: Sorry I am not current on my postings, I was at my freshman orientation today. And this chapter was kinda all over the place because I wasn't really sure how I wanted to start it off or end it. I am just wicked tired. I will try and post tomorrow and promise not to let it get this all over the place. Bare with me it's 1:04am here…and I've been up since 7am June 11, 2011 lol. I am really glad you guys are enjoying this story! I am so pumped for the show to come back. Love Caleb3**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 Caleb's POV:**

I wasn't sure how I was going to ask my Aunt about Hanna staying here. I mean how does anyone start that off,

_"Hey Patty sorry about me being a creep earlier about not going into my closet, it's just my girlfriend Hanna was in there because she is being abused at home, can she live here?"_

Oh yeah there's something that is going to get me kicked out with her. I mean my aunt has always been a cool person about these sort of things and said when I first

moved in here that if I was ever in any trouble to come to her before my uncle, because she was from this century, but even still Hanna has a hard enough time trusting

me.

I am finding I am thinking more and more about her-the way her hair smells, how her hands feel when I have them in mine…okay that's enough I need to stick to the plan.

While I left Hanna in my room I walked down stairs and saw everyone getting ready to go out, I was still in trouble for not doing the dishes last week-so my uncle thought

my best punishment was to isolate me from the family bonding night…yeah he taught me.

"Caleb do you want me to bring you back anything?" My aunt asked as I was loading the dishwasher. "No, but I did want to talk to you about something."

She studied my face trying to look for the answer but failed. "What is it?" I took a deep breath to think about how I was going to say all this.

"You remember that girl I pulled out the day of the school shooting?" She nodded, this was a good start. "Well we've gotten really close-" She put her hand over her

mouth, "Oh my word, she isn't pregnant is she? Because if she is and you're the father I swear Caleb you will be one sorry nephew!"

She said in a nasty whispear I was completely taken aback, "What? No. She isn't pregnant, we aren't that close, that was not what I meant at all."

She took a sigh of releaf, "Thank god. I'm sorry for jumping to that conclusion now what is this you're trying to tell me about you're friend…"

"Hanna. Well you see her home life is very…unstable." She was confused, "Caleb will you stop with this beating around the bush. Is she the reason you wouldn't let me go

into the closet this afternoon?" I looked away, damn she was good. "Yes." She smirked, "She stayed here last night didn't she?" I looked down at my shoes,

"How did you know?" She smiled and lifted my chin to face her, "The shower is running in your room and you're down here talking about her. You may think you're fooling

me but I wasn't born yesterday.

Now what's going on with her at home?" "Her dad-step dad, beats her: she has a cigarette burn on her neck, bruises all over, a massive black eye with a cut, I am

guessing he hit her with his ring hand. And she has been cutting herself because of what he has done to her. She had no where else to go last night and it was pouring

out, I wasn't going to let her sit out on a bus bench all by herself I mean she came over without her brace from when she got shot in the knee. I would have been a

jackass for not letting her stay."

It felt good letting my aunt know all this. I hoped she was really truly listening and not taking this as some teen romance that I started up-even though it might be part of

the reason we're together in the first place.

"This is a lot to take in, you know you have no right to keep her from her home life, you both are not 18 yet so she can't just leave and move into a new home without

telling them."

My face fell a little, this wasn't going to work. She won't let the person I am falling for stay with me, I need Hanna with me, without me she is unsafe, I can't protect her

from Eric if we're apart. She's been alone far too long.

"But…" I met my aunt's eyes, I loved the word but now! "She can stay...if and only if she lets you take her to the police and report her step-father, because once those

markings go away she has no case. I may be a stay at home mom, but I know my shit. If she wants this to stop you have to convince her that telling someone other than

me will resolve everything."

My stomach was doing the backflips my body would never let me do. "Deal." She held up her finger though, "AND! You have 2 more deals to this before you get all excited

and go back to your one tree hill romance-I still have to talk to your uncle about it, which I will tonight. I want to meet her, talk to her. And I want her to stay in the other

guest room…You need to remember we have 4 children under the age of 10..I don't need to teach them about the birds and the bee's in the year 2011, do you

understand me? Caleb Michael Rivers if I catch her in your room with the door closed and we're all home..I will really cut off the thing that will give you children to every

female. Do we have an understanding?"

I swallowed hard. Those were tough conditions, asking that from Hanna was going to be harder than my aunt thought. But the threats I was used to with her, which

always made it easy for me to be honest with her.

"Deal." She smiled in statisfaction, kissed my head and then rounded up the troops to go out to dinner. I sat in the kitchen smiling to myself about the conversation that

went the best way I was ever going to get.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Hanna walked down stairs fully refreshed from her shower, she smelled amazing.

"I am not an expert but I am pretty sure it doesn't take this long to get ice." I smiled, "Sorry I was sidetracked." She laughed,

"I can tell the dishwasher is still wide open." I got up from the table and went back to the chore I originally started doing. "You okay? You seem distracted."

Hanna asked fixing herself the ice and sitting down at the table resting with the ice on her eye. "Yeah I am fine." I said with my back to her. Another conversation I am not

ready to have, I don't have any idea how I am going to tell her that she needs to go to the police. After a minute of silence Hanna broke it, "I need to go home." I closed

the dishwasher and set it then turned to her. I studied her for a moment, she looked surprised to say it out loud herself. "Why?" I was afraid to ask this but she was

going to have to tell me eventually. "Because my friends can only cover for me so long before my mom and Eric start to wonder where I really am. And I don't want to put

my friends through this, including you." My jaw tightened just thinking about bringing her to the one place I am trying to protect her from. "Hanna yesterday you could

barely stand, today your eye is the size of Texas. If you go home you're never going to heal." I sat down next to her and tried to seem calm about all this. "Caleb you can't

protect me from my house, I know how to handle it, I just slipped up this time." I looked at her completely confused, "Han, are you listening to yourself? You shouldn't

have to tip-toe around what to say to avoid getting hit. You should be confident enough to express yourself in your HOME." She jumped in my frustration, I quickly

adjusted my temper. "Sorry … I will get my keys." I got up went to the hall and got my coat and keys. Hanna didn't follow she was still sitting in the kitchen, I kept looking

at my keys-clutching them in my fist I walked back into the kitchen. "Ready?" She put the ice down and got up, ran upstairs to get her things but came down with just her

sweatshirt. "What about your stuff?" She didn't answer me or look me in the eye, opened the front door and walked out to my car. I slowly trailed behind her attempting

to figure out why she wasn't taking all her things.

The car ride was awkward, we've had silent times but this was full of tension. "Hanna..are you sure you really want to do this?" She wouldn't look at me, she was so close

to the door I thought she was going to jump out if she was strapped in by the seat-belt. "I am not sure of anything. But the longer I stay with you, the quicker my friends

get hurt by doing something I forced them to do. It's not fair to them, and you can call me anything you want about putting my friends before me, but they mean

everything to me. And if I lose them because I'm hiding from Eric..then that makes me a coward." She said looking out the window whipping a tear from her cheek. I

reached over for her hand but she put it in her lap. I finally pulled two houses down from hers. I looked at the house, how peaceful it looked on the outside. I remembered

playing lava in the front yard with Hanna's toys, it was were she tried to teach me how to hoola-hoop. I looked back at Hanna she looked like she wanted to throw up.

"Flicker a light twice to let me know you're okay. If you don't- I am coming in for you. Okay?" She nodded and stepped out of the car.

It sucked that my aunt and uncle had moved after the shooting, people were creeping my aunt out on Hanna's street. That's why we moved. Now I am kicking myself for

not forcing them to stay because of this, I would be able to hear Eric and Ashley-but this wasn't about me. Hanna slowly walked away from the car and walked down the

block-she wasn't looking back, not that I was surprised but I am sure she would just second guess everything if she looked back at me. I gripped the stearing wheel to

keep from doing anything stupid I couldn't take my eyes off her as she kept getting closer to the house. But I pulled away to get my phone and had 9-1-1 ready if needed.

I watched Hanna make it to the front door of her house, she walked in without hesitation and shut the door behind her_. _

_"Come on Han, flicker the light..come on you can do it." _

I whispered to myself, praying to god that she would.

A minute passed, 3 minutes passed, 5 minutes. I had enough, phone in hand I walked down the sidewalk to Hanna's house.

**A/N: Loving the reviews guys keep it up! I loved tonight's episode..so intense. Like I said I am trying to get better at updating. I just get a little writers block then everything comes to me at like midnight..good thing there is no time shown when you post on these things…because you guys would probs yell at me for posting this late..it's midnight here! But I hope you guys like this =]**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry I didn't post this afternoon like I had originally planed to do..but I had to go to the doctors to pick up paper work for college, then I had to babysit and of course for all you hockey fan's out there I had to watch my boyfriend Tim Thomas kick ass! I am so proud to be a Bostonian, if you're a Vancouver fan I am sorry they lost…they put up a solid fight. =] Anyway without further a due here is what you can't wait for =] love you long time guys3 **

**Chapter 14 Hanna's POV:**

I knew if I looked back at Caleb sitting in the car I replayed the statement he made in the car over and over with every step I took. _"Flicker a light twice so I know you made in okay."_ It felt like an unspoken promise that you are going to be okay. I took a deep breath once I got to the door, I opened it-it didn't surprise me that the door was unlocked.

All the lights were out which wasn't unusual for me. All I wanted to do was get to a light..but it felt like someone rearranged all the furniture as if they were expecting me to come back and not be able to find something. I felt like a blind person. I had to feel around the place while trying to be quite to whoever home.

Once I got to a lamp I was about to turn the light on when something slammed me in the back of the head and knocked me on to the ground. "I knew you would be back."

I knew that smell far too well, and fear started to come through my whole body. "I'm sure you missed me." I tried to sit up but my head felt like 200 pound, a foot knocked

me back down. "You're not going anywhere. You left once, you think I am going to let you do that again?" He shouted and kicked me hard in the ribs. I wish Caleb would

walk through the door now. I kept counting the seconds. I finally got up but he grabbed me by the throat, "How brave of you, thinking you can beat me on your own.

Sorry sweetie you're not going to win this one." Eric threw me into the coffee table and I screamed in pain. My whole upper body hurt. My leg felt worse even without my knee brace, if he went for my knee I will truly never come back.

I scrambled up and threw my first inexperienced punch and got him square in the nose, "YOU BITCH!" I turned around and saw my mom standing behind me, she pushed

me into the wall and slapped me across the face so hard I thought my cheek was going to fall off. I licked the blood off the corner of my lip. Eric shoved her out of the way

and he punched me in the other eye and I fell to the ground again, getting up was becoming harder, he kicked me repeatedly until my body went limp. I was on my

stomach just looking at my bedroom from the long hallway, I was pretty sure I got a concussion because I was starting to forget where I was. Eric stood over me and

pulled me by the hair, "You can always run away but I am always going to find you, and I am always going to win." I was crying from everything the fact he was pulling my

hair made everything worse but nothing prepared me for what he was about to do. He kissed my forehead and then stepped as hard as he could on my knee I let out a

powerful scream of touchier. I completely blacked out..everything was too dark.

I remember coming back into reality and Caleb was holding on to me, telling me to hang in there. I came back a second time and saw around me all these people around

me looking down at my lifeless body telling other people what to do. I was confused until someone told me to relax. All I wondered was where Caleb was and why he

wasn't with me.

**24 hours later…**

My head was pounding. My whole body was in pain, everything felt like it was broken I looked around-I was on my back in a bed with dull walls, I had quickly realized

where I was and was shockingly calm. I noticed my leg was leveled. I tried to sit up but I winced in pain, I felt a hand on my shoulder and I flinched, clearly I wasn't alone

in the room. "It's okay. Just lay still." The voice made everything seem less worse. "Caleb?" He smiled at me, "So much for you flickering a light huh?" he laughed slightly

but I didn't. "What happened?" He moved a piece of hair from my face, "When you didn't flicker atfter about 10 minutes I called the police and we went in and broke things

up before you…well the important thing is that you are safe and here, they can't hurt you anymore Hanna." I was so lost, I don't remember the police being there at all. I

barely remember seeing him. What the hell happened to me! "Caleb..I don't remember anything other than Eric stepping on my knee…OH MY GOSH…my knee is it okay?"

Caleb stroked my arm to relax me and it was working. "You've got to take it easy. Your knee is going to be okay you are going to be in your brace for a while he almost

fractured it but lucky for you before he did any serious damage was when he was interrupted by the police and myself. You got a concussion which explains why you don't

remember me showing up. You have 4 broken ribs and you look like a bruised banana. The doctor is putting you on bed rest but you are going to be discharged

tomorrow."

I am not sure why but all the sudden I started to cry, Caleb leaned in and wrapped his arms around me, I gripped on to him for dear life. It's one of those cries that you

are so lost you just think crying is the best way to deal with things. We were interrupted by Caleb's Aunt, Uncle and some strange woman who I no clue who she was but

at this point new faces were so not a good plan for me. "Hanna. Hi I am Abby, from DSS-I am also a trauma therapist. Could you all give us a moment I would like to talk to

Hanna alone." Caleb gave me a kiss on the forehead then walked out with his Aunt and Uncle. "Hanna I know you are supposed to relax but I need to talk to you about

something's that are very important before you are discharged tomorrow." I nodded as she took the seat Caleb was sitting in. "I think it's important you know that your

mother and Eric have been placed under arrest and will be going away for a long time. Sadly that has left you to the custody of someone you are related too. You have an

Aunt in Georgia, your mother's sister. We wouldn't be leaving you with her if she wasn't put together but from what we've checked up on she is very put together she has

a family, married a few kids and is a nurse. We have contacted her and she has agreed to take you." I was pissed my eyes were starting to water, "Whoa back up. I don't

even get to have a say in all this? You're asking me to pack up my things in the middle of a school year and go live with someone who I don't remember ever being apart

of my life? The closest connection I have with that woman is a birthday card once a year…and it's always the wrong day and month. I am not going with her." Her face fell,

I knew I pushed her buttons but there was no way I was packing up and leaving. "Hanna you have no other option-other than a foster home and if your parents are put

away for a long time then well..you will be in one until your 18 and then the state gets the pleasure of dealing with you." My pulse was rising this was too much for me to

handle in one day I just wanted to be with Caleb and get out of here, with him. I wanted to leave and never look back at these people. "Can I stay with the Rivers?" She

kinked her eyebrows, "They are not family." "They are family friends, my mom and Caleb's mom used to be best friends..until Caleb's mother got cancer and died when we

were 10." She tapped her pen on the folder. "I will speak to them. But I want you to come in 3 times a week for a theropy session, you've had a tramatic experience and I

noticed you have some self inflicted wounds, and if we go to court they are going to want to use that against you. So if we talk about it, I can help make your case

stronger." Now she had my full attention, "I don't believe in talking to strangers about my feelings." She smirked-and I hated it. "Well you don't have a choice in the

matter, your doctor's have suggested it. And I think it will be good for you."

After our converstation it was agreed that I was staying with Caleb, he came back into the room and never left my side even when the nurse thought it would be a good

idea for him to step out while she reviled the iv and gave me pain meds, he just looked away while she did her job. Caleb's Aunt and Uncle left to get my stuff with the

DSS lady-this was one of those times it sucked to be under-aged. "So I guess we're going to be roommates now." I said causing him to laugh and release the tension in

the room. I was getting drozy and starting to feel myself struggling to get the right words I wanted to say out to him. "Thank you…" He stroked my head, "Shhh…you need

to rest." I shook my head, "Thank you…for saving me." I saw him smile, he kissed my forehead, but I moved so he caught my lips, it was the exactly what I needed, but he

broke the kiss when my heart monitor started to increase the speed, we laughed. I sighed back onto the pillows as my eyes were getting heavy. "Caleb…." He leaned into

try and hear what I had to say. "What is it princess?" I closed my eyes and started to drift but not too far, "I love you."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Finally after 48 hours in the stupid hospital Hanna was aloud to leave. Getting her in the car was easy, I picked her up on my own..figuring we could leave the questions and comments from my aunt and uncle after dinner tonight. The car right was silent, I looked over at Hanna-she was looking out the window.

As we came to a red light she broke the silence. "Let's stop at my house on the way home please." I didn't say anything about it, I just nodded and made the way to her home.

When we reached Hanna's house I pulled into the driveway and shut the car off. We sat there and Hanna was still staring out the window,

"We don't have to do this today if you don't want too. We can go at the end of the week or we can try later tonight?" She shook her head, "If I don't do this now I am not going to want to do it later or at the end of the week. Let's just get this over with." She looked at me with pain in her eyes that I wish I could take away, but I couldn't we

got out. I went over to Hanna's side of the car and wrapped one arm around her waste and Hanna brought hers around my shoulders, we got to the front door and I waited for Hanna to catch her breath. "Ready?" She asked me, I smiled, "I was going to ask you that." She shrugged, "Open the door before I change my mind."

I opened the door and it was like an instant replay of what happened that night came rushing back, I felt Hanna tense up next to me. She let go of my shoulders and walked inside.

I followed her until she went down the hall. I stood in the living room taking in the mess. I heard doors opening and closing along with drawers. "Shit." Came out a few times down the hall and I laughed to myself, obviously something's hadn't changed about her.

Hanna came back limping down the hall with 3 gym bags, "Here let me" I took them off her shoulders and turned to leave. Not noticing Hanna behind me as I loaded the car. I walked back into the house and saw her looking around the room.

"Hans, it's going away not leaving." She had tears forming in her eyes, "Isn't it the same thing? I mean look around you Caleb. We both pretty much grew up in this home thinking everything was okay."

She hobbles over to the doorway of the living-room and the kitchen running a hand over our height charts. I smiled, it always pissed her off when we were kids that I was taller than her by an inch.

"Hans, come on. You've had a long morning-you need rest and time. Let's go." I extended my hand and she took it wiping the remains of her tears from her eyes. I pulled her to my side and kissed her head as she wrapped her arms around my waste and we made our way to the car.

When we finally got to my house I looked over at Hanna, "You sure you're okay?" She only nodded and got out of the car, I followed not sure what else to do. My aunt

came out wiping her hands on a dish towel, "Hanna so good to have you dear." She kissed her cheek and helped her inside, "Dan will you help Caleb with her bags please." I am sure he mumbled something about it and then finally came out and pulled out the rest of the bags with me.

We walked into the house and followed the girls upstairs, lucky for me Hanna's guest room is next door to mine. When I placed her bags next to her bed my aunt stopped me before I could go into my room, "Now you two, there is to be no going into each others rooms. I am serious, this house is G rated." Hanna nodded and just laid on the bed, she looked tired, not being able to touch her right now was going to be down right impossible.

I left the room avoiding the rest of this conversation as my aunt and uncle helped her get settled when they left for downstairs I took advantage of the opportunity with the little's being at school to go see Hanna, she was texting on her bed, she looked relax than earlier. "How are you holding up?" She jumped-she must have been in a deep conversation.

"Okay. I guess." I nodded and walked into the room and sat at her desk chair. "So the family is going out tonight..do you want to do something? Since last time..." I trailed off she gave me this look and I felt like I stuck my foot in my mouth.

"I am really tired Caleb." She rolled over so her back was to me. I got up slowly and left the room.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: My deepest apologies about that last chapter, like I said I need to learn to not post at 1 am and start doing it in the afternoon. But I've been busy coaching a softball team and working. So like I've said I am really trying not to be all over the place. Bare with me please. If not I'm sorry.. =] just get used to it :P haha welp I hope everyone watched tonight's episode I love it! I think Ian is living in Jason's house and doesn't want anyone to know including the girls. And where the hell is Caleb? Hanna needs to give him a second chance! HOWEVER….here's chapter 16 as promised**

Chapter 16:

Everything hurts, in a nutshell. My leg is in pain, my body is in pain and being in Caleb's house is getting hard. I can't move that easy and being out of school for a week feels like forever. Patty came up with lunch for me. "I come baring gifts." I sit up from my text book and notes and smile at her, she brought a tray of food that smelled

amazing. "Thank you, my stomach was starting to growl." She set the tray over my lap and walked over to the desk looking at the stack of homework. "How are you adjusting?" I looked up from the pancakes and saw her avoiding my eyes. I cleared my throat. "Okay I guess, I mean the child services lady said that in the next few

months that this was going to get ugly so until then I am just doing what I am doing..moving forward." She nodded and sat down next to me. "I want you to know you are not alone at all. Caleb, Dan and myself are here for you. Dan might seem like he is not happy that you two developed a 'thing' and then we had you move in with us,

but that's just him showing his age. But we want you here. Caleb wants you here." I smiled as tears were rolling down my cheek my mom never had time to sit down and have a heart to heart, she never even wanted to know how I was feeling. I always like Patty and she told me when I was 12 and started 'developing' that she was here

for me.

"Thank you, it means a lot coming from you. I thought you were against me being here too." She shook her head, then went out the door and let me in peace, but looking

down at the food my body was aching in far too much pain to eat. My ribs were killing, I felt bad she worked hard on the food but I couldn't bare to look at it the smell was making my sick. I got up and took the food to the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. It was the first time I caught myself in a mirror for the first time, I saw my  
>face..brusied and in pain. I lifted up my shirt gripping the sink tightly because I could barely put weight on my leg. The ribs were black and blue, I started to cry silently-and I had no idea why.<p>

I was taking note when my pain killers started to kick in, and my eyes got heavy. I figured why not take a little break. So I laid back against the pillows with my textbook

across my chest, I didn't even hear Caleb come home or come into my room. I did however feel something stroking my cheek, my eyes fluttered open to the touch. "Good afternoon, you sleep okay?" Caleb asked sitting next to me on the bed. I nodded and he looked around the bed, "You know part of missing school is so you're getting

rest." I sat up and rolled my eyes, "I can't fall behind." I was getting really annoyed with trying to relax I wanted to see my friends, I wanted to see something beyond this house. My stomach growled but I ignored it and opened up my Russian History book, "Are you hungry? What did you eat today." I froze, "umm yeah Patty is a great

cook." Lie. I would never know every time she brings me something I eat and throw it up or I throw it away. I feel bad but with the pains of my body eating is not an option. "Han, everything okay?" I didn't know what to say so I looked down at my book. "Yeah everything's fine." Caleb got up and walked out to do some things in his

room.

3 hours later…

"Dinner!" Patty yelled through the house, hearing the rush of little feet running was making me wish I could stand on my own two feet again. I tried to get up and go to

the door but the second I got off the bed I fell to the floor. "UGH!" I grunted through the floor, Caleb must have been walking by when he saw me on the floor, "Whoa Hanna, come on off the floor." He tried to help me up but I slapped his hands away, "Just leave me here." He chuckled, "In the middle of the floor? Good plan while I'm at it

let me get my little cousins and they can walk around your back too." I smiled through the floor, "That doesn't sound too bad, because my back hurts." Caleb laughed, "Oh does it?" I could feel him standing over my body and he sat down, this was not okay for my ribs but I saw the humor in it and it made me laugh. "Caleb I think you need to

get off before my rib cage breaks into a thousand pieces." "Oh shit I completely forgot about them.." He jumped off like I was on fire. He helped me off the ground and walked me back to the bed, but I got dizzy and laid back fast. "Hanna you okay?" "Yeah just a little dizzy that's all." Caleb looked at me full of concern, nodded and walked

out of the bed room. I sighed and turned on the TV jumped when my phone when off telling me I had a text message when I thought my phone was off.

"Liar, liar, Hanna's on fire.. Better find a better way to keep from the truth before Caleb finds out about your secret. Wouldn't want him to know about the real reasons  
>you cut do you? Hefty Hanna." -A<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I am horrible, sorry I am not posting frequently enough..I was going to post last Saturday but my friend surprised me with tickets to Taylor Swift! If you haven't seen her..GO! She is amazing live, and the show is amazing. But not as amazing as pretty little liars tonight, where is Caleb! Hahah well I hope like this chapter, I am being brutal and doing this at 11:47pm…somethings prob won't change (:**

Chapter 17

After 2 weeks-I had to go back to school. I walked to my locker after Caleb handed me off my books, as I was changing books getting ready to go to history someone came up behind me and cause my to drop my stuff. "Whoa-Han it's only me Aria, remember your friend?" I rolled my eyes smiling-a familiar face. "Hey. Sorry still not used to surprise attacks."  
>She nodded, "So what rock have you been hiding under? Haven't seen you since the MIA text you sent out last month..and we missed you in school the last 2 weeks. Everything okay at home?" Aria was the only one who really understood the situation between my family and I-she also knew Caleb and I's relationship when we were<p>

younger. She was part of our neighbor hood gang that played until the street lights came on. She waved a hand in my face to get me back to reality. "No. I am staying with Caleb. My parents were arrested. I went to get things and they attacked me..soon I have a court hearing about it all. And I was out because the doctor told me that I

needed to rest." Aria just looked at me in shock-"Wow, do the doctors give you your own room now?" She said with a nudge to lighten the mood, it worked. "Not sure, maybe they will when they expect my next visit. Hopefully it's not until 10 years from now when I am caring an offspring." Aria had that look like I just killed a cat, "I am joking!" I hugged her. "So where is everyone?" I said shutting my locker and linking arms with her down the hall. "Well this is Emily's last week, as usual convent for you

to come at the last minute for things. Spencer has been hanging out with Toby 24/7 and me..well you know me." She said with a devilish look. I knew what she was talking about-her and the English teacher. We laughed and went into History class. It felt good to be with my friends again. The day went quickly before I knew it-lunch began, Aria and I walked to the table where Emily and Spencer were in a conversation. They both looked up and saw me-obviously shocked that I was back. "Hey Han.

We thought we were going to have to put out an Amber Alert System for you." I smiled and went a little red from just embarrassment that I couldn't tell my friends where I was really until now. As we got back into the swing of things and told them everything, it was like I never left the group. Caleb walked by the table, "Hey you forgot something in the car this morning. You took off before I could give it to you." I looked up at him and smiled as he handed me my copy of the house key. "Oh I was

wondering where I put it." He smiled, "I am starting a job tonight so it will be just you tonight." I nodded and he looked at the rest of us, Spencer chimed in. "Thanks for looking and taking care of Hanna. We know it was a lot to ask of you, we would have taken her in but with the way her family is…" she trailed off realizing it was not getting awkward. "No worries." He cleared his throat, looked down at his shoes and walked away.

Emily laughed when he walked away out of ear shot, "Way to make that completely awkward Spence. But what is with the two of you? You look like what happens after the parents just walked in on you doing something you shouldn't have." I blush. "Nothing. It's just it's to cliché to fall for him when I'm living with him. Like it's so predictable you know?" They nodded, I lost my apatite. When school was over I walked home by myself, I lent Caleb my car so he could go to work.

When I got home the house was empty, shocker. I walked into the kitchen and there was a note on the counter:

_Hanna/Caleb-_

_Working late. Please make sure you pick the littles up off the bus at 3:30 and feed them dinner. _

_PS-Hanna, Dan and I left you a surprise in your room. Hope you like it._

_Patty and Dan._

I looked up from the note confused. I went over the stairs to my room, opened the door and looked at a keyboard with a red bow on it. I almost wanted to cry. It was such a nice thing to have, I pulled my notebook out of my hiding spot and started playing a melody that would hopefully fit with my song that I was writing. Caleb came home after I picked the littles up school and they were playing in the backyard while I was trying to finish my work. I was so wrapped up in the song that I didn't see

Caleb walk in and sit at my desk. He was holding the big bow when I looked up. "So you like your gift? It was hard to keep that a secret." I blushed, "Yeah..it's um amazing. You guys didn't have to do this. Thank you." He nodded, "Umm when you were in the hospital the night everything happened, we didn't get a chance to talk about something you said. Do you any chance remember what you said." I was completely taken aback, I looked down at my fingers then up at him. "Um..I am not sure,

which night? Because I mean I have made a wonderful appearance at the hospital twice already." He got serious for a moment, and the truth was I knew where he was getting at. This whole 'I love you' thing that I said, I didn't mean to say it. It just happened. "Han..I think you know the night I am talking about." Thankfully Taryn ran into

the room "Anna, I have a bloody nose." I jumped off the bed and over to her, "Okay keep your head back-let's go into my bathroom." I didn't care that she was even dripping on the rug-anything to avoid this conversation. I sat her on the counter, "Alright I am going to show you a trick my Mom taught me." I took a small piece of toilet  
>paper and rolled it, "tip your head back."<p>

I asked and I gently stuck the piece up her nose, "there now your own personal plug! Come see me in twenty minutes if its red, and if not come back anyway and I will pull it out."

She nodded I cleaned her up and sent her on her way, Caleb was standing in the door way watching the whole time.

"You know just because you had to play nurse Hanna doesn't mean you can avoid it. We should talk about it." He said as he stepped closer. "There….there's nothing to umm….talk about" I stutter, he smirks and takes another step closer, "If there is nothing to talk about, that means you remember." His next step is right near my face, I can smell his breath on my skin and it gives me chills. But I pull myself back. "Caleb..I can't talk about this right now."

I move past him and go back to my keyboard, and start playing a melody. He puts his slightly cold hands over mine so I stop. And I avoid his eyes, he puts a finger under my chin and makes me look into his chocolate eyes. "Why not? Are you so afraid that it would work between us?"

I nudge his hand away from my face but keep my hands underneath his.

"No. I just..I don't want it." His eyes looked like there was a pain in there, something I never want to see for as long as I live. "don't want what?" He asked with a hint of frustration.

I cleared my throat. Got up and walked out of the room..the truth was I wanted it-so badly. But I just can't trust myself.

I walked into the main floor bathroom and threw up my lunch. I sank down on the floor and let the tears fall, until there was a light knock on the door and a small person opened it.

"Anna it's stopped can you take it out?" Taryn asked with the cutest face. I got up and helped her-hoping she didn't see what I was doing. "Anna why are you sad?" I smiled half heartedly at her, "I'm okay."

And walked her out of the bathroom.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Lets just take a moment here, I am posting at 5:20pm..with the sun still out! YAY! So I got busted accidently throwing Toby into the story-who had already killed himself, the person Spencer is with is Alex-the kid from the country club..okay**

Chapter 18:

After dinner I stayed in my room, the front door rang and was about to get it when Caleb already answered it and sent the person upstairs. I went back to my bed but turned when my door opened. "So this is where you've been hiding." Spencer said as she walked in shutting the door behind her. "Hey. How you been?" She sighed sitting in the desk chair.

"Well it's been months since the whole Toby thing and my parents stuck me in therapy for that..now I am finding moving on is the best thing. And Alex is a big help with that." I kinked my eyebrows, "And how is young Alex. Talk about a stranger." Spencer and her shared a laugh. Before they knew it, it was past 9.

"Well I better get going." She got up to the door but turned back to look at me, "Just curious but what is the real story with you and Caleb. Are you going out or not. I know all about the secret shared kisses and the I love you, so what's the deal?" I rolled my eyes. "I don't know." She walked over and kneeled in front of me.

"If you are afraid you guys will be like your parents, you're 100% wrong. And you shouldn't second guess your feelings like that. You've both wanted to be with each other since you could crawl. And it's not fair to either of you to have to hid your feels because Hanna is afraid to get hurt. You've never been afraid of anything..you were the most intense first baseman Rosewood ever had-and you should keep that intensity." I looked down at my hands.

"And what if it doesn't workout Spence? You know how much it would suck if we broke up and I was still living here?" Spencer nodded in agreement, "But sometimes it's okay to take a chance." With that she got up and left the room.

I slammed myself on my bed but didn't realized that I was too far on the bed and wacked my head on the wall, "UGRPH!" I sat up and rubbed my head, went to my keyboard and tried to work on my song, when I looked out the window it started to pour, I got up to check and make sure that the kids were already inside.

Thunder started to roll and my door flew open, "Taryn-you okay?" She nodded and then lighting crackled and she bolted to my legs and buried her head. I laughed, "It's okay it's just a little storm, it's going to pass." As if on cue the power went out. And the boys started to scream along with Taryn. It was pitch black and I couldn't see a thing. I used my phone as flash light to make our way to the door, Caleb came out of his room, "So much for working on my English paper. Where is Taryn?"

"HERE!" She squealed behind my legs. "She made a run to my room when there was still light." I said explaining why she was hiding behind me. "Lets go to the kitchen and get some flash lights." The storm got stronger and there was a crash down in the kitchen. "Taryn go and sit with your brothers in their room okay, I am going to make sure Caleb is alright." She nodded and once the lighting cracked again she bolted for their room. I limped my way downstairs, "Caleb you okay?" There was no sound, the silence was starting to freak me out. "Caleb." I said a little louder. It was impossible to see, but I managed to grip the doorway of the kitchen.

"Caleb where are you? This is really not as funny as you think." I said taking some more steps into the kitchen gripping the table for support. "AHH!" Someone shouted behind me I screamed so loud and started beating the person in front of me with my fists. "OUCH, Ow Hanna will you cut it out, OUCH!" I was panting when I finally stopped.

"Caleb?" I said getting the hair out of my face, "Who else would it be?" _Stupid question..I thought you were A_ I said to myself. "Why did you need to scare me like that, what the hell is wrong with you?" I shouted punching him in the shoulder, "OW! That hurts, you pack a mean right hook." I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest,

"It was just a joke, I couldn't resist." I rolled my eyes, "What if Taryn came down..do you think she would have enjoyed your sick joke-children sleep with nightlights because of people like you." He started to laugh, "If Taryn came down here I wouldn't have done it. I am not that horrible. But you are easy to scare." I took on of the flashlights out of his hands and start to limp away. "Han I am sorry. But you really should have seen your-"

There was a giant thud coming from upstairs and the noise of the kids had stopped. "Did you hear that?" I whispered to Caleb aware that I cut him off. "Yeah." We both walked closer to the stairs, "Should we call up to them, see if they're okay?" I asked him and he of course looked at me like I was an idiot. "oh yeah good call, yell up to whoever broke in that there are two more people to steal down here, good call Hanna." "Hey I was just asking a serious question, no need to give attitude crabby pants." I whispered back at him, "I wouldn't have an attitude if you were honest with your feelings for once Marin." He whispered yelled to me.

"In case you hadn't notice, I was shot a few months back and 5 weeks ago my parents put me in hospital and are now in jail. Wasn't really planning on revealing anything -most likely mean nothing to someone, when his family took me into his home." I said with hint of anger in it. He rolled his eyes at me. "God forbid you be honest with me. At all." I got red faced. "You want something honest? Fine. I spent 5 summers away at fat camp because my own mother was ashamed for the way I looked. In 10th grade I was diagnosed with an eating disorder. How is that for honesty."

I said angerly and started to limp my way up the stairs not caring if Caleb would follow or not. When I got up stairs I turned the flash light on and made my way to the boys room.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:**

"Hanna wait." Caleb grabbed my elbow and went up a few steps ahead of me. "Where did that come from?" I avoided his gaze, "Forget I said anything okay, lets just make sure the kids are alright." I wiggled out of his grasp and shined the light down the hall. "Boys, Taryn where are you?" As I walked down the hall I noticed Caleb wasn't behind me,

"Caleb-I'm not falling for that again." He stepped out of my bedroom, "Falling for what?" I looked at him oddly, "What are you doing?" He followed my eyes to the field hockey stick in his hands, "Are you serious?" He looked at me like I was crazy, "What? It was either this or your keyboard and we all know you are clearly on a cycle and would hang me for taking that away." I rolled my eyes, "leave it to you to be so mature!" We walked down to where Tommy, Sean and Terry's bedroom

was, opened the door and was about to turn on the light when "RAWWWWWWW!" Little voices broke the silence causing my to jump and scream and hide behind Caleb for dear life. When the hallway light went on they all started laughing. "This night sucks." I said into Caleb's back then I realized what I was doing and let go of Caleb, "What happened to the loud banging sound?" Caleb asked looking at me as I moved from behind him to beside him. "It was the window opening." Sean

said. Caleb went into their room and shut the window, when he walked back into the hall I had already walked into mine. "Hello we're home," shouted voices from the first floor, all the kids except Taryn ran downstairs to greet Patty and Dan. I peered out of the hallway and slowly walked passed Taryn's room to go to the bathroom and heard Caleb talking to her. "I think she is really sad." Caleb smiled softly at her, "Well her mommy and daddy didn't love her right. Unlike your mommy and daddy, and sometimes it does make her sad." He explained, I started to get watery eyes and I leaned in closer to hear more. "No. She was sad while she was in the bathroom today. She was sick, but quickly gets better." Caleb looked at her confused then put the pieces together slowly. He nodded silently, kissed her

cheek: tucked her in and walked out, I quickly backed up against the wall while he shut out the light and closed the door but jumped when he saw me. "How long were you standing there?" he asked standing inches from my face his jaw was tight and I could tell he was frustrated, his eyes were begging for answers that I was not ready to share. "I…umm…you see, I was just on my way to the umm…" He smirked slightly as he stepped a little closer, I could feel his breath on my skin

and it gave me chills. "the bathroom perhaps?" I nodded then blushed with embarrassment after what Taryn had just told him.

He took my hand and I swear I felt sparks flying behind me, he gently traced his finger tips on the lines and made his way up to the cuts on my wrists. A knot appeared in my throat and I tried hard to chock it down. "Let's go to my room. I think we should talk." He says taking my hand in his and leading me towards his room without waiting for my replay. We walked into his room and I sat on the edge of his bed and he sat down behind me up against the pillows. "Care to explain why my 4 year old cousin sees you making yourself sick in the bathroom? Hans, what on earth are you doing to yourself?" No one had ever called me out on things

like this before, I look down hard into my lap playing with my fingers. Eventually I cleared my throat-tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear before I spoke, "When I got back from my first summer of fat camp what they told us was that it was really easy to put the weight back. And well my mom was afraid I would do just that, and so the day I came home my mom took my into the bathroom and said

'If you ever think about not looking like a size 2 I better find you in this bathroom with this halfway down your throat! If Mary-Kate Olson can do it after eating a whole box of double stuffed oreo's well..so can you.' And after a while it just became…the only pain I could control." I looked up with tears in my eyes as Caleb nodded catching them with his thumb. He pulled me into a hug and for a while it was like the rest of

the world stopped for a moment.

I looked away from Caleb and to the keyboard, "Hanna will you look at me please." I bit my lip then looked up at him. "I wrote you something, can you just listen

and sing something with me?" He sighed looking at me stroking my cheek with his thumb. "Just because I do this doesn't mean you get out of talking to me." I

nodded and pulled the keyboard over to us, put the music notes on the keyboard and gave him the lyrics that I had memorized by heart. I started to play and

noticed him smile as he read the lyrics.

** "Remind Me"**  
><strong> Brad Pasilety <strong>**with Carrie Underwood**

_ [Brad]:__We didn't care if people stared__  
><em>_ We'd make out in a crowd somewhere__  
><em>_ Somebody'd tell us to get a room__  
><em>_ It's hard to believe that was me and you__  
><em>_ Now we keep saying that we're ok__  
><em>_ But I don't want to settle for good not great__  
><em>_ I miss the way that it felt back then I wanna feel that way again_

_ Been so long that you'd forget the way I used to kiss your neck_

_ [Carrie]:__Remind me, remind me__  
><em>_ So on fire so in love. Way back when we couldn't get enough__  
><em>_ [Carrie]:__Remind me, remind me_

_ [Carrie]:__Remember the airport dropping me off__  
><em>_ We were kissing goodbye and we couldn't stop__  
><em>_ [Brad]:__I felt bad cause you missed your flight__  
><em>_ [Carrie and Brad:]__But that meant we had one more night_

_ [Carrie]:__Do you remember how it used to be__  
><em>_ we'd turn out the lights and didn't just sleep__  
><em>_ [Brad]:__Remind me Remind me__  
><em>_ Baby remind me__  
><em>_ [Carrie]:__Oh so on fire so in love__  
><em>_ that look in your eyes that I miss so much__  
><em>_ [Brad]:__Remind me, baby remind me_

_ [Brad]:__I wanna feel that way__  
><em>_ [Carrie]:__Yeah I wanna hold you close__  
><em>_ [Brad and Carrie]:__Oh If you still love me__  
><em>_ Don't just assume I know_

_ [Carrie]__Do you remember the way it felt?__  
><em>_ [Brad]__You mean back when we couldn't control ourselves__  
><em>_ [Carrie]__Remind me, remind me__  
><em>_ [Brad]__Yeah remind me__  
><em>_ [Carrie]__All those things that you used to do__  
><em>_ That made me fall in love with you__  
><em>_ Remind me. Oh Baby Remind Me_

_ [Brad]__Yeah you'd wake up in my old t-shirt__  
><em>_ All those mornings I was late for work__  
><em>_ Remind me_

_ [Brad and Carrie]__Oh baby remind me_

_ [Carrie]__Oh, baby remind me, remind me__  
><em>_ [Brad]__Yeah, you'd wake up in my old t-shirt__  
><em>_ Baby, remind me__…_

It fell silent as I played the last notes and looked at Caleb. "Sometimes I forget the chemistry you and I had. And I should be reminded of why I always wanted to stay friends with you in the first place." He looked at me speechless, "and why is that?" my heart skipped a beat because I knew I wasn't going to get away with not saying it. "Because deep down, for some reason that I am not truly sure of, I am in love with you. And you know what-it scares the crap out of me because I am never sure if you feel the same way or if you're going to hurt me."

He nodded then took my chin under his finger and placed a gentle sweet kiss on my lips-the first kiss kind. And if we were standing I would have been knocked down because this was different than the last few kisses. When we came up for air I was smiling, "Now I seem to remember doing this before, and you running away on me." I blushed, "No more running. I promise." "Good."

Was all I remember because after that my head turned to mush from the kisses, when things were starting to get heavy there was a knock on the door, I broke out of his embrace and opened my door, looked around but found an envelope in the doorway. I picked up and opened it. Inside was a picture of my parents and I when I was nine, on the back was a message.

**_I put your picture away, sat down and cried today…hope you are ready to see mommy and daddy again, Caleb can't save you much longer you know. ;) - A_**_  
><em>


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

I quickly stuffed the picture into my back pocket when I heard Caleb calling me from his bed. I turned and smiled. "Everything okay?" I nodded and walked back over to him and kissed him on the lips. When I was a about to pull away he pulled me back and laid me down with him on top of me. I started to feel like it was moving to fast.

_Flashback:_

"_You know I've seen what you've been wearing to school and it's not okay Hanna, a girl who dresses like you have is just asking for trouble. And you don't want to give people the wrong idea?" Eric said on top of me, I tried to struggle but he pinned my hands down over my head. "No please." He laughed, "You know I like a girl who begs." He laughed into my neck and started taking my clothes off. "NO PLEASE STOP!" I screamed and he covered my mouth as hot tears went down my cheeks. "Shut up. No one is home to hear you, so shut up!" He sneered. I started crying even harder, just praying this night would end. "Please…stop." _

_End flashback_

"Please stop" I almost shouted and sat up pushing Caleb off of me. I felt like someone was stepping on my lungs. "Hanna you okay? Did I do something wrong." He put a hand on my back and I flinched. "It's not you…I…I have to go to my room." Before he could respond I ran out of his room and went to mine, changed out of my clothes and went under my covers and burred myself into my pillows and thought if I am like this because of making out, what am I going to be like when we actually do it.

That night I cried myself to sleep wishing I had never been born.

**A/N: Sorry that this was mad short, I just felt like you guys needed something..I was in New Jersey all last week and wasn't able to post anything and that was why I posted before I left, and now I was having a little writers block..next week I will have more..I am just trying to think about where this should go, just losing my edge slightly. Love you guys, thank you for the reviews I am intending to finish this story before August 18****th**** cause I am leaving for college(freshie ) hahaha **


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21:**

The alarm went off, I rolled over to hit the snooze button but instead I hit something that was far from an alarm clock. I opened my eyes slightly and saw brown eyes looking right at me, I knew who it was and quickly pulled the covers over my head, "Go away." I heard him chuckle and attempt to pull off my covers, I was a pro at this. "I will if you tell me why you ran out of the room last night, what's going on Hanna and don't try to cover it up with a song..it's not going to work a second time. Talk to me." I groaned, "Caleb at 8 in the morning is never the best time to discuss my mommy and daddy issues okay. You don't see me digging through your mommy issues."

I didn't even have to look him in the eye to regret what I said, I pulled down my covers and looked at his hurt face, "I am so sorry, I shouldn't have said that." He nodded with his jaw set. "Doesn't change that you said it." He got up and slammed my bed room door.

_Today is off to a great day, and I haven't even had a coffee yet._

I say to myself, hop out of bed and get dressed to hope to find Caleb before starting the day. I dash down stairs to the kitchen "Cal-oh hi Patty I didn't know you were up." She had her back to me but laughed at the sink, "Honey I was up at 5..someone has to keep the house running. Were you looking for Caleb? Cause you just missed him." I blushed at how she knew that right away. "Well..umm. Where did he go?" She turned and wiped her hands on a towel sighing.

"There is a place he goes to clear his head, I am amazed you don't know about it because he found it a week after his mother died and always goes there to clear his head. I would know because I had to do the lunch runs out to him so he wouldn't starve. But don't tell him I told you he went there okay? Check the yard." I gave her an intense look and she nodded and tipped her head towards the backyard.

I walked out and saw a shadow moving in a tree house. I laughed to myself about how amazing it was that an 18 year old boy still sits on in a tree house, I looked around the yard and found a pebble and chucked it up to the side of the house until Caleb finally appeared through the window. "Is there a no girls allowed policy or can you make an exception just this once? I promise I wont tell Spankie and Alfalfa." He gave me a small smile and nodded me to come up. I climbed up and sat down on the floor of the tree house next to him.

"I didn't mean what I said this morning. I am extremely sorry." He nodded silently. "Caleb..will you talk to me please. What's going on?" He cleared his throat, "I should ask you the same question." With that he pulled out the picture A left me last night at his bedroom door. "Where…where did you get that?" "Does it matter?" I looked at him, gave a dry laugh then looked out the window.

_Did he seriously just ask me that, what is he new in town? Of course it matters where he got it, it means he went through my stuff while I was in bed. _

"You went through my clothes? Why are you going through my stuff." His jaw tightened, "Hanna don't turn this on me. Who is A? And why the hell is she stalking you like this. I thought no one knew about your personal life, you always told me you like to keep your personal life separate from school." I looked away to wipe a tear. "If I knew who A was I would have told you the second you pulled out the picture, but I honestly do not know who she is. She has been around since Alison's death and that's about all I am allowed to tell you.

My friends and I are taking care of it." Caleb gave a dry laugh, "How is A threating you about me exactly taken care of it Hanna? It's stalking and you have to go to the police about it. I mean what the hell how does she know what happened to you and your parents? I need answers Hanna." "Why? Why do you need to know now, why can't you just ever leave things be. Why do you always need to try and fix things for me. Doesn't anyone ever think I can do anything for myself?" I said shouting now because I am tired of everyone treating me like I am incapable to do anything. "Hanna I just want to help you." I stand up. "You want to help me Caleb? Respect my things and stay the hell out of things that you don't know anything about. Can you handle that?"

I got down the latter and ran. When I got half way to town I texted Aria and told her I was coming over. She didn't ask why and she didn't know what it was about she just said okay.

And that was what I needed right now, not questions jammed down my throat, not people watching over me in a house all day, I just needed someone to talk too. And I just ran to Aria's..this is my getting away from the world.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Alright you guys can feel free to say it, I suck. I went away to new jersey and then my computer went all bi-polar on me and now I am just 24 hours away from going to college EEEK hahah I am really sorry I haven't been posting and since I wont have a TV until my roommate shows up 6 days after I've moved in, I guess it's time to get back to writing, as usual I am doing this late at night and not even writing a rough draft…that's been my secret all along. So if I am all over the place you can blame the coffee and lack of sleep I've been getting the past few weeks.**

**Chapter 22:**

I was running to Aria's house when I came across a park and noticed that I had missed a turn down her street. Tired from running I sat down on a bench near by under a tree and watched a family sitting down for a late afternoon picnic. Just watching them laughing and talking like a family made my stomach turn and angry at the same time. I watched as the mother was braiding the daughter's hair and the father and son playing catch next to them, I wasn't sure how long I was sitting there until I could tell someone was behind me, "What now you plan to stalk me?" I look up and see Caleb watching the same scene I was. "I just was making sure you got to where you were going." I chuckled, "I don't even know where I need to be anymore. " Caleb motioned for Hanna to move over so that he could sit down with her. "Why can't I have what they have?"

Hanna said out loud, Caleb didn't know what to say, he too wanted what they had. "We all want something we can't have Hanna. But if you keep wishing for what you don't have you're going to miss out on what's right in front of you." Hanna brushed away the tears that were rolling down her face. "I just don't understand how this all happened, one minute I am in the middle of a school shooting, the next my parents are attempting to kill me." Caleb put his arm around Hanna's shoulders and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I know. But you know what you're going to get through it, because this time you have me. And I know I am not going anywhere. I am sorry I've been picking fights with you. I guess we've just changed too much since we were little and you are not as easy to understand like you used too." Hanna smiled but nodded, she too thought they've changed too much for each other. "Now where were you intending on going?" Hanna laughed, "I meant to take off to Aria's but I missed a turn and ended up here. " Caleb laughed with her, "You always sucked at remembering where places were." She hit him playfully.

"Can we go home, I am tired of sitting here?" Hanna asked when they both stopped laughing. Caleb got up and took her hand in his, something about being with him felt so right to her, being with Caleb made her feel safe and that's what she was wanting her whole life, someone to take away the pain that has been caused to her.

When they got back to Caleb's they noticed a BMW sitting in the front of the house, and in their neck of the woods, that's always a bad sign. Hanna gripped Caleb's hand tighter when they approached the front door.

"Ah here they are now." Dan's voice boomed through the kitchen, "What's going on?" Caleb asked really confused about the blonde sitting in the living room with Patty looking in the opposite direction on the verge of tears. "Patty? Why are you upset?" Hanna asks letting go of Caleb's hand and walking over to her. "You must be Hanna," The blonde woman says, "Depends, what do you want to know?" She clears her throat and looks at Caleb and quickly back to Hanna, "I am Emily-I am a social worker and I am here to talk to you about your parents." Hanna tensed, "Why now? And why is Patty upset what did you say?" She clears her throat again looking down at her paper work.

"It appears that someone has posted your father's bail, your mother will not be getting out any time soon, but now that your father is out he has a right to take you back home, meaning that since Dan and Patty never signed any paper work saying that they could be your legal guardian's they have no say in you staying with them or going away with your father. So please go and pack your things, you are going home." Hanna was dumbfounded she had no idea what to say, so much information came at her, the words 'your father was bailed out' kept ringing in her ears.

"I am not going back to him, are you aware of what he did to me? He put me in the hospital! That is not a safe environment for me, I want to stay where I know I won't get hurt." Hanna shouted standing next to Caleb because he was the only one who could keep her from breaking right now. "Hanna, we are so sorry." Patty said now just about crying sitting in the chair looking out the window.

"How is it that you did not get the papers Dan? You knew Hanna was going to stay with us!" Dan popped out of his chair in the kitchen, "Listen boy no one said how long she was staying and no one said that there were fucking papers to sign to keep her, and the way she has been running in and out of this house I thought she would either go and live in a box or go back to her home where she belongs."

Emily stood up, "Hanna, Patty and Dan have collected your bags, and since you are not 18 yet, you have no say. I am sorry it has to be this way but your father is waiting, you wont be next door he bought a new house. And he is going to meet us there." "So I am leaving? Just like that, I don't get a say and we can't just fill out the paper work right here?"

Emily sighed heavily, "Normally I would but given the fact that only one of them agrees to sign it's much too long of a process." "This is crazy she is going to be 18 in a month, can't we just let her stay until then?" Caleb asked not letting go of Hanna's hand, she felt like her whole world was coming down around her. "I will be outside when you are ready, make sure you say your good-byes Hanna." Emily went out to the car, Dan went to the den to hide from all this drama.

Patty walked over to the couple, "Hanna I am going to do everything in my power to make sure you are back in this house, please just trust me alright sweetie, this lady is a bitch and I am going to slam her with this if it kills me." Hanna cried into her arms, Patty stroked her hair, pulled apart and went into the kitchen.

Caleb pulled Hanna into a hug and Hanna gripped on to him for dear life. "I don't want to go back to him, he is going to hurt me I know it." Caleb gripped her tighter, "I won't let that happen. I am going to make sure nothing happens to you Hanna. I promise, you call me every night and I am going to pick you up for school and I will drop you off. I promise I won't let anything happen. Let me and Patty fight this for you." Hanna cried into his shirt taking in his scent –for a memory.

And for the first time she had said words that she never thought she would say so soon, but it felt right and this time she was going to mean it. "I love you Caleb." Caleb smiled in her hair, lifted her chin and pulled her into the most passionate kiss they have ever shared, "I love you too Hanna. We are going to get through this, I promise you." Hanna nodded, pulled apart and went to the front door, before leaving she looked back at Caleb with tears in her eyes, then walked out the door.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Every happy moment that I have is being vanished, all I can think about is that fact that I am going back to the man who is the reason for everything that is wrong with me. As I am sitting in the car Emily tries to break the long silence that has been in here since we pulled away from Caleb's car. "Hanna you feel a million miles away, I am sure sorry is not going to make you any happier about this but you have to understand that you are not 18 yet. The ball is not in your favor until then, if there was something-" "Do you have a daughter Emily?" I ask cutting her off, because honestly I really don't want to listen to her attempt at comforting me with something she read in a magazine. She was silent for a while until we pulled to a red light, she gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.

"Yes. I have 3, triplets they are in 3rd grade." I nodded, "Right so if your husband was anything like my father, and you were locked up would you really want your little girls going back to someone who has not only harmed them but attempted to rape them? If you ask me what your doing might as well be what you're doing to your own children." Emily's jaw set, and I feel that I've hit a nerve but someone has to not sound as crazy as this whole thing is.

"I understand Hanna, but I know that my girls are not of legal age to have a say-" "That is a sick thing to say! The fact you would actually let the state accept your children to go back to someone who attempted to do everything possible to make sure they didn't have a tomorrow. And don't you dare tell me you understand, because if you did..well we wouldn't be in the car right now would we?" She didn't say anything but I noticed her brushing tears out of her eyes, good. I made my point known, good to know I am not the only one who thinks this whole thing is fucked up.

After about 20 more minutes we pull up to Eric's new house, that's right Eric. He doesn't deserve the name Dad. The outside looks okay, could use some flowers around the house and it looks like the lawn hasn't been mowed in 2 weeks. Emily comes around to my side with my bags, but before I take a step up the walk way she grabs my arm and makes me face her. "Hanna, I know you're angry and upset. Everything you said in the car was dead on, I would be sick to my stomach to know that my children were in the arms of someone who hurt them once before. But you have to understand that this is out of my hands, but I know something you don't yet." I kink my eyebrow at her, "That you are really joking and I can go back to Caleb's house?" She smiled motherly at me, "No. But you don't know that I have to inspect your father once a month. If there is something about the house that I don't like, he has to get it fixed before I come back again. I have to keep in check once a week that he made it to his job on time that week. And of course I have to check you, make sure you're eating every meal that your room is stable and that you are physically okay. If he steps one toe out of line: with work, the house, or you. You have the right to appeal living with him. But I am working on one more thing." I am really fighting a smile or tears just hearing all these things, it's like she is my father's babysitter.

"I am working on you getting emancipated." "What's that?" "It means that if you don't want to be with your father you don't have too. Yes at 18 you have the right to move out, but if you try this for a month. I will be a sponcer to agree to you being emancipated from your parents, meaning they will have complete silence to anything you do with your life. And I will also accept at being your care-taker." She kept throwing out these things that I have no clue about, so I don't say anything because it's getting colder out here the longer she talks but I am really hanging on edge to all of this. "Meaning that once you are emancipated and you've found somewhere to live, I will make sure that you are going to school, you are making your own money paying your bills on time and are on track with everything." "Why would you want to do all this for me? A moment ago you were kicking me out, of the one place that I felt safe." She nods in understanding "Because I care about what happens to you the second you step in that house. And I promise that I could get a strong enough case for all of this to go away for you." I chuckle at her, "I don't do promises Emily. They've tend to be broke by people who have accepted my trust." "Do you want my help or not Hanna?" I looked down at my shoes, I am not getting out of this question whether I say yes or no.

"Yes. I do, you can make sure I never have to be near these two again?" "It won't happen tomorrow Hanna, you really have to stick this out. But like I said if something goes wrong, you can call me the second after it happens. I will be here with Rosewood's finest and make sure he never touches or sees you again." My hands are shaking and my mind is spinning at imiages of Caleb and I having a free life.

"Here is my card. Call day or night, I don't care if you wake up my girls-your life is more important to me then theirs when you call me. If I am at work, you will have my undivided attention. Understand?" I nodded and give a half hearted smile and I do something that I only do to Caleb. I rush my body into her and give her the biggest hug along with fighting off tears. "Thank you." I whisper in her ear and she rubs my back in response. We pull apart; I whip my eyes and smile down at my bags as she walks ahead of me and rings the doorbell at the top of the steps. The door opens and all my fear comes rushing back the second we lock eyes, "My, my, look how you've grown. Hi Hanna." He says with a creepy clown smile that would make five year olds have nightmares for a month. "Hi Eric." I say with venom and I can see his jaw tighten just a little at the fact that I didn't say 'Dad' he should know that he isn't a father, if he wants to look at a father, he should look to Bill Cosby.

We step in and the house looks better then what we originally had, but its not a home, it's not my home, my home is with Caleb.

Eric gives Emily the tour of the house and she asks him questions about why this was leaking and why the cabinet squeaked. As he kissed her ass I went up the stairs, while walking down the hall I found Eric's room with an unmade bed, a bathroom was across the hall. There was a laundry room further down and across from it, the only room with the door closed was clearly invisibly marked for me. I opened it, thankfully the door doesn't squeak like our old bedroom doors did. When I stepped in the room looked big, not as big as my one in Caleb's house but it was standard size that I liked. I checked behind the door and found that there was a lock on it, I locked it shut it and pulled a bobby pin out of my hair.

Checking the hall making sure no one was coming I tested to see how easily it could be picked, my prediction was sadly correct and that a bobby pin is able to pick it, 'I will have to go with Caleb tomorrow and check out new door knobs with stronger locks.' I thought to myself, I also noticed that there was a chain lock too. I laughed to myself. I set my bags on the end of the bed and sat down. There were white curtains that flowed nicely with the breeze coming in, I heard a car drive off, apparently Emily left without saying good-bye. Before Eric gets a chance to talk to me I program Emily's numbers into my phone and add them to my In Case Of an Emergency so that way they are at the top of my contacts. Then I rip up the card into little pieces and stuff it in my jacket pocket. Eric knocks on the door and I jump.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you," He says starting to walk in but I stand up. "Stop right there. I don't want you stepping beyond the doorway." He puts his hands up nods and walks backwards to the doorway. "Hanna this is going to be hard, and I can't promise that I have fully changed, I mean I will still have a beer with dinner. But I would like us to try and fix everything, I really hope the room is to your liking, there are two laundry rooms. One up here and one in the basement, I already use the one in the basement so you can have this one. There is a bathroom in my room so you can have the one across from mine. I know how much lady products you have so your own bathroom seemed fair. There is plenty of food, I go shopping with a lady who drives me to work every other Friday so if there is something you would like or want write it down on the fridge and I can get it, but you are to get your own…lady things."

Typical dad talking about my special friend, "You can paint the room whatever color you want, I left it white for you cause I never really knew what your favorite color was. The lady who drives me took me to a place to get you bedding yet you can't get bedding until you know what color your room is, so I picked out three, I will take the other 2 back when you've made your choice." I nod, not sure if I should buy this new Eric. Old Eric wasn't this human, but it pained me to know he had no clue what my favorite color was, I mean I shouldn't be hurt by that but I am. "Well I have work tomorrow and you have school, so I will let yourself get settled, you're welcomed to the TV and fridge if you need anything. And I will see you in the morning I guess." He goes to close the door, "Eric?" He stops holding on to the door knob, "Um..thanks I guess." He nods but avoids eye contact, "You're welcome Hanna."

I sigh and start to unpack listening to music throw my headphones. Once I got my room together and finished hanging up my pictures of my friends and some of me and Caleb, the clock reads 1:38am. Before going to bed I remember that Eric said he had bedding in the closet for me, I open the big closet and see he was right, he had 3 different packages of bedding to pick from but he failed to tell me he also had towels to match it. Flattered I looked at the options; Pink and Black, Blue and Lime-Green, and 2 different shades of purple. I study the patterns of each bedding and finally pick the blue and lime-green, my favorite colors. I set up my bed, go down the hall brush my teeth, I notice Eric's door is closed, something that never happened before.

I feel a sigh of relief knowing he wants privacy. I go back to my room and pull out my phone, I text Caleb a message, shut out the nightstand light. Now the only glow coming from the room is a nightlight that I never noticed when I first walked in, the old me would get up and shut it off, but I am in a new home-that isn't mine. I keep the light on and welcome sleep with open arms and pray to myself that tomorrow is easier then tonight was.

All the while I hope that Caleb's attempting at a better night's sleep then I am, but before I fully drift off my eyes snap open I leap out of bed and lock the door chain and all. I don't want to chance anything. I keep my eyes on the door and the shadows underneath until my eyes get heavy, my breathing slows and I drift back to sleep.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

2 weeks have gone by and Hanna and Caleb fell into a system; Caleb picks her up, they stay at school until after physical therapy, then he brings her home. Hanna has

not spoken much to Eric since she moved in, but as expected he goes to the store every other Friday. He always cooks dinner and leaves a plate for Hanna. Maybe she

wasn't giving him the benefit of the doubt but could you blame her?

Hanna was getting ready for school, she had just pulled her brace over her knee, and slipped into her uggs when she heard shouting and slamming from the kitchen.

When she walked down stairs she saw Eric standing over the sink with his head bowed down. "Everything okay?" She asked braking the silence between them. Eric

snapped his head around to her. "Oh Hanna, I didn't see you there. Yeah, just..things are a little complicated at the moment. Nothing to worry though, shouldn't you be

heading off to school?" He asked as if on cue Caleb was honking outside. "I'll see you later I guess." Hanna grabbed her bag at the door and was about to leave when

something grabbed her wrist tightly. She turned to see Eric with an odd look in his eyes, "You forgot your lunch." "I don't do paper bag, I buy." Eric's jaw tighten, "Not

today. Here, bologna on white with tomato and mayo..like your mother used to make." A chill went up my back, this was the first time we've mentioned my mom since

everything that went on a month ago. "Thanks." He lets go of her wrist and walks back into the kitchen. Hanna rushes out the door but calms herself before getting into

Caleb's car.

"Morning, everything okay, Han?" He asked rubbing her leg, Hanna looked down at her paper bag before thinking of something to say. She brushed the hair from her face,

"Yeah. Everything is fine." She said with a half smile. Caleb looked at her oddly before pulling out of the side of her house. _This is going to be a long day_ Hanna thought to

herself as she got out of Caleb's car and waited for him on her side. He weaved his hand through hers, "So what's in the bag?" He asked noticing something new about

what she was caring today. "Oh..Eric decided to make me lunch today, I think something happened with his job. He seemed really upset this morning." Hanna bit her

tongue wishing that she didn't just tell Caleb that. "He was, everything alright?" Hanna rolled her eyes as the made their way to her locker and she let go of his hand.

"Everything is fine Caleb, people can get upset and still be in control. He just didn't want to talk about it and he handed me a lunch because he didn't have any cash on

him this week. He said 'like mom made.' Which I thought was weird cause we've never spoken about past events since I moved in." Caleb nodded leaning against the

locker next to her. She closed it and studied the look he was giving her, "What?" He smiled at her. "I just miss seeing your just rolled out of bed, angry eyes look." Hanna

blushed, Caleb stepped close and lifted his hand to her cheek and leaned in to cover her strawberry lips. Hanna smiled into the smiled into the kiss, dropped her bag and

books while wrapping her arms around his neck. When the pulled apart the bell rang, Hanna and Caleb picked up her books and parted ways to class.

Hanna and Aria made their way over to their usual sitting by the tree, Caleb didn't have lunch until next period, sometimes he would come into her lunch anyway. "So Han

how are things going at Caleb's? Hanna stopped mid bit-completely forgetting that she never told Aria, Emily or Spence that she moved back in with her dad. She cleared

her throat before speaking. "Um well actually, I wouldn't know. I don't live with him anymore. My dad got out of jail and I'm back with him." The girls all looked at her like

she had 10 heads. "And you were planning on telling us when? When you are laying in a hospital again?" Spencer said in a bitter tone. Hanna put her head down, "No I

was going to tell you. I just forgot, and wanted to make sure it was actually permanent before it really happened." All 4 girls fell into an awkward silence, Aria finally rolled

her eyes and spoke first. "Well how are things going at your dads? Everything going..smoothly?" She asked picking her words carefully. "Everything is alright, I have my

own room; bathroom, and laundry room. I have a lock on my door and he let me do my room however way I want. But the thing is, I need someone with artistic ability to

help me." Hanna said batting her eyes at Spencer, she knew she was still pissed at her, but Spencer could never ignore a request when it came to decorating a room.

"Fine, but it doesn't make up for you not telling us anything. You can't keep secrets like that from us Hanna." Hanna nodded. "So is that a yes for today?"Spencer laughed

and nodded in agreement.

The two girls went to Hanna's house to look at what they could do to her room, Eric's car hadn't moved out of the drive way since she left for school. "Hanna you okay?

You seem nervous, we're just going into to your room; look around and then we are going to the store to get paints. It's not that big of a deal." Hanna nodded and

opened the door. She cringed when she saw 3 beer bottles on the in-table and her dad in the chair passed out, the tv was on full blast. She pulled Spencer's arm quietly

upstairs. "I thought you said he quit drinking for his new job?" " I thought so too." Hanna said looking for her camera. Spencer kinked her eyebrow at her, "What are you

using that for?" Hanna studied the camera then looked at Spencer, "The social worker told me that if I have proof of the things he is doing wrong that he agreed to with

the court then I can make a stronger case to get out of here and go back to Caleb's." "speaking of him, did you tell him I took you home today?" Hanna rolled her eyes,

"He is not my keeper, I don't have to tell him where I am going and who I am with. He knows I only have 4 friends that I fully talk too and hangout with." Spencer and

Hanna laughed lightly. Hanna went back downstairs and took a picture of Eric, she zoomed on him and the beer bottles. She went back upstairs to help Spencer.

After 3 hours of deciding what to do to the room and 4 hours of picking out paints and supplies Hanna was looking forward to getting something other then her room

done. She walked in the front door and went into the kitchen to find something to eat but stopped when she saw a smashed up camera on the kitchen table. "What did

you do to my camera?" Hanna asked her dad who was standing at the sink washing a stain out of a shirt. "You know better then to take pictures of people when they

aren't looking, or wanting them taken." Hanna straighten and started to get frustrated, "Well that doesn't mean you have the right to break my camera." Eric turned and

slammed his shirt to the ground, "Don't you tell me what I have the right to do or not do in my house. If I want to break something I will. You got it?" He shouted making

her jump and back up towards the opening. Eric looked at her, saw how scared she was getting and relaxed himself, picked up his shirt and went back to working with the

stain, "I'll get you a new camera." Hanna suddenly wasn't hungry anymore and went back up to her room, she sat on her bed and began to cry. She looked around her

room and saw the outlines done for her room, she picked up the paints; opened the widows to let in the October breeze and began to work on it, she just wanted to

work on something other than worrying about what was going to happen to her with Eric. She had no idea what to say about what just happened, her thoughts broke

with a punching on the door. Hanna opened it, "Yes?" Eric stepped into the room and looked around, "where did you get the paints?" "I went out with Spencer and bought them?" Eric nodded, "Bet you have lots of money huh?" Hanna looked at him confused, "It's just babysitting money." Eric shock his head in disagreement.

"You've been whoring around, don't like to me." Hanna's blood started to boil, "Excuse me?" "You heard me. You're holding out on me, we are family. If you are making

money, I want some of your share. Only far right? I do provide for this family." "We have to be a family in order for you to provide for someone other than your beer belly."

Hanna shouted at him. Eric's back hand slapped her across the face, "DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO ME THAT WAY YOU LITTLE BITCH." Tears formed in Hanna's eyes, "You

don't ever touch me again!" "OR WHAT? You going to take a picture and send to that social worker? You need a camera in order to do that, and where is your camera?"

Hanna stepped closer, "I hate you. I hate you so much!" She gave him an attempted shove out her door but he grabbed her by the arms and flung her, she crashed into

the latter for painting the ceiling. Hanna felt the back of her head and was bleeding a little, she felt her head begin to pound and she felt light headed. "You think you're stronger then me? How cute you're trying to defend yourself. Did your sugar daddy teach you that?"

Eric stood over the side of her and kicked her on the ground. "Touch me again, and you'll be very sorry." Eric said leaving the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Hanna slowly got off the floor and reached for her phone on her bed.

She was now crying waiting for the phone to answer on the other head, "Hello?" "Can you come get me please?" Hanna sobbed into her phone.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Hanna looked in the mirror with a shaky body, she took a picture of the back of her head with her phone. Then studied her reflection, tears were pouring out like a waterfall until she heard pebbles being thrown at her widow.

She rushed and saw Caleb standing underneath her window. Hanna went to her bedroom door and checked down the hall to Eric's bedroom to make sure he was still sleeping. She took a deep breath and went to her laundry room and grabbed her stuff she packed the night she moved in for just incase purposes. As much as she liked the new house, it wasn't home. Her home was with Caleb and his family, and if Eric didn't know that then he was dumber then she thought.

Hanna went back to her room, opened the window and threw the bags out for Caleb to catch. He texted her after he put it in the car to flick the light twice to make sure she got to the living room safely before coming out.

Hanna grabbed her backpack and uggs and quietly shut her bedroom door coming out. She held her breath while she walked down the hall, during the day she took memory to what parts of the floor squeaked.

When she made it to the foot of the stairs she looked over her shoulder, she was safe as long as she heard the loud snoring from the first bedroom. Instead of walking down the loud stairs Hanna swung over the banister and slowly started to slide down it, outsmarting the loud stairs and the man upstairs. Once she reached the bottom she walked over to the lamp on the inn table and flicked the light twice, but as she reached for the lamp she stopped to wait to hear the snoring..after a moment of silence Hanna's heart started to race. She could hear someone behind her, smelling of beer and cigarettes.

"And just where do you think you're going?" the voice said darkly behind her.

**20 minutes before…**

Caleb hung up from a sobbing and scared Hanna, had called Aria and told her to wait outside her house in five. Caleb grabbed his keys and made a dash out of the house and to his car. _If he touches a hair on his head I swear to God he is dead._

Caleb thought to himself as he gripped the wheel tight turning down Aria's street, she was sitting on the steps waiting for him. When he pulled up Aria sprinted to the car and got in. "Okay mind telling what the hell is going on? I am missing gossip girl for this and I-" "Hanna is in trouble. She called me crying on the phone, she was so scared she couldn't form a proper sentence all she told me was that I need to come get her."

Aria stared at him with wide eyes he waited for her response. "Well what are you waiting for, 2012? Lets go!" Caleb punched the gas and took off as quick as he could. Once they pulled on to her street Aria broke the silence. "Park across the street." Caleb was broken out of thought, "Why?" Aria rolled her eyes, "Because he knows what kind of car you drive." "How? I just about it." Aria shock her head looking out the widow once he followed her instruction, "I talked to her yesterday..she was on the computer and she saw her history on the internet apparently her dad was checking out all of us, our families what kind of car we have, or what cell phone we have. He knows everything. So do what I say alright."

Caleb nodded now feeling dirty knowing that the girl he loved had a father who knew everything about her friends. "Text her saying you're here, tell her to throw any bags out the window and that once she gets to the living room to blink the light twice." Caleb looked at her in shock. "How do you know how to do all this?" Aria smiled, "Haven't you seen the movie enough?" Caleb shook his head and Aria rolled her eyes, "The movie with Jennifer Lopez…" Caleb laughed, "Oh yeah, great movie." Aria glared at him, "Typical male, you definitely didn't watch the movie for the message, you just liked JLo." After Caleb did Aria's instructions, they waiting on the edge of their seats for Hanna to flick on the light, Aria heard Caleb whisper 'come on Hanna' and it made her happy to see for herself how much he fully cared for her, even if they were separated.

"It's been 10 minutes where is she?" Caleb asked getting impatient and Aria shrugged not knowing what to say to make him less tense.

"Where do you think you're going?" Eric asked getting louder making Hanna flinch as she backed up against the door, "I'm..umm" "What's wrong, cat caught your tongue? You're sneaking off to Caleb aren't you?" When Hanna shook her head know Eric slapped her across the face, "Don't you lie to me little girl."

Tears were starting in her eyes but she swallowed them, moved the hair out of her eyes and looked up at him. "What, you going to try and stand up for yourself now?" "You don't ever touch me, I am not a rag doll you throw around for shits and giggles, you drunken bastard." She said backing off the door stepping closer to him, Eric balled his hand into a fist and punched her across the face causing Hanna to hit the floor with a crash.

Caleb heard it from outside, "Did you hear that?" Aria unbuckled her seat-belt and her and Caleb rushed out of the car, "STOP IT!" Hanna shouted trying to crawl away but Eric was standing over her, kicking her in the ribs. "When are you going to learn little girl, you're never going to win." Suddenly Eric stopped when Caleb charged through the door kicking it down with Ezra beside him. Hanna was on the ground shaking, "Who the hell are you?"

Caleb looked at him with evil eyes, "The reason your daughter won't be coming near you ever again." Eric looked down at Hanna, "Is this the little shit that you're whoring around with?" Eric spat, about to kick her again. "If you touch her again I will call the police!" Ezra shouted, Aria rushed in and went to Hanna's side, ignoring the wreckage and the boys all glaring at each other.

Hanna was helped out of the house by Caleb and Aria, Eric was at the door way, "You can run away Hanna. But I'm going to find you, wherever you are I'll always be one step ahead of you." Hanna turned around and glared at him as she was gently placed in the car, Aria went home with Ezra, Caleb and Hanna took off. She was gripping his hand tightly, "We should get you to see a doctor."

Caleb said calmly and soothingly while they drove in silence, Hanna remained looking out the window. "There's no point." Caleb glanced over at her confused, "In what? Seeing a doctor?" Hanna shook her head in silence, "There is no point in doing anything anymore, every time I get better and heal, he comes back around and turns everything to shit. I am tired of people risking anything for me, if they did it would be worth it in the end, and now that it's not..well there's just no point." They drove to the parking lot of the hospital and sat in a comfortable silence.

"You're worth saving Hanna, even if we have to keep repeating this , whatever it takes. To me you're worth it." Hanna let a tear slowly roll down her cheek. She pulled out her iphone and was wrapped up in looking something up, "Hanna what are you doing?" Hanna looked up but avoided her eyes, "I'm going to finish what he started-my way." With that she got out of the car and took off, yes she was in pain.

Her ribs were screaming while she was running in the bitter cold of October but she had to keep moving. She came to a stop when she realized she had found the address and slowly walked up the steps wincing in pain, she didn't even notice that Caleb never followed her or tried to call her back.

She knocked on the door until someone opened it clearly pissed that they were woken at such a late hour. "Can I help you?" the man asked a little uneasy about Hanna's appearance, "Yes. Will you teach me how to fight?"


End file.
